After The Twilight
by DazzledKelly
Summary: Edward and Bella are together at prom at the end of Twilight, and now they look to enjoy their summer together. What lies in store? This is the events continuing right from the last page of Twilight, but before the second book, New Moon.
1. Interruptions

_**After The Twilight - Chapter 1: Interruptions**_

_**Here is my continuation of the incredible vampire/human love story called Twilight, and my story below begins right from the last page of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novel. I just spontaneously had an idea that I could continue writing the story right from the last page, just for fun. And I couldn't stop writing. My Edward and Bella story takes place in the time between the end of Twilight and the beginning of the sequel, New Moon. It's Bella's summer with Edward. Bella's point of view. I haven't yet finished it, but for now here it is! Hope you enjoy, and comments are welcome.**_

I closed my eyes, Edward's sweet, delicious breath breezing across my face as he lifted his lips from my throat and sighed heavily. But I snuggled closer, not wanting any distance between us, however small. He quickly brushed his cold lips across my forehead, but then took my hands and eased me to my feet, his honey-gold eyes meeting mine as I gazed at his glorious face. His eyes did not leave mine as we walked, slowly, hand in hand, towards his silver Volvo, which was slightly glowing in the moonlight. Edward stared at me as he drove, and of course, I stared back, knowing that the intensity of his eyes would not release me until he looked away. He never did. His hand reached for mine, and he very gently squeezed my hand in his smooth, ice-cold grip.

"How are you?" Edward asked in a serious tone, golden eyes searching my face.

It took me a couple of heartbeats to gather my tangled thoughts to answer the question.

"Fine," I replied eventually. He smiled my favourite crooked smile, and then spoke again.

"What would you like to do tonight?"

"Um…"

"I'm sure Esme wouldn't mind cooking up some dinner for you, but if you'd rather me stay with you at yours…"

"Oh…can we go to your house?" I said in a rush, my eyes lighting up. Edward laughed, taking in my sudden excitement, "I said so, didn't I?"

We pulled up outside the large white Cullen mansion, and Edward scooped me up into his arms before he ascended the porch steps. He leaned his head down and whispered in my ear, "Oops, I think we may have an empty house on our hands…"

I giggled, lifting my face to press my lips to his. We ended up staying in the same spot outside on the porch for several minutes, Edward still holding me in his arms and kissing me so softly, so gently that I wondered how I still had an audible heartbeat. I knew I had to reluctantly pull away, for fear of collapsing right there in his arms. I turned my head, gasping. Both my hands were tangled in his bronze, tousled hair, and there was no way I was strong enough to push him away. Edward leaned back instantly, his eyes growing concerned, replacing the thrill and obvious lust that had widened them. Then he smiled, his perfect lips curving so beautifully that any male model would weep on his knees to have it. "Maybe we should hold back on the kisses…" He began.

"No!" I almost shouted. He laughed quietly as he unlocked the door in a split second and carried me inside.

He slowly unwrapped his arms from me and I slid to my feet, swaying slightly. I was still wearing the ridiculous stiletto Alice had forced me into for the Prom, and I bent down immediately to unsuccessfully yank it off, my walking cast on the other foot. The satin ribbons protested, and I almost stumbled onto the floor, only to be caught by Edward's iron grip. There was no sign of impatience at my extreme lack of coordination on his face, and he quickly and effortlessly untied my shoe, throwing it into a corner before he wrapped his arm around my waist. He led me towards the colossal staircase. Suddenly he lifted me over his shoulder and breezed up the stairs in less than half a second, and I only noticed where we were when I saw Edward's black leather sofa. He put me on my feet and I limped slightly as I went to the glass back wall and looked dreamily at the half moon and all the glittering stars. In the corner of my eye I saw Edward appear at my side. He held my hand.

"What are you thinking?" He asked me in a whisper. I didn't know why he needed to ask. I mean, he must know by now that I was always thinking about him. He was the centre of my world. He was my world, period. I wondered whether to bring up the subject of my mortality, but I refused to spoil the mood. So I lied instead. "I was just thinking about my mom…" I said, my voice so low it was barely audible – to me, anyway.

"You've been mentioning her in your sleep for the past few nights… is everything okay?" His eyes probed mine.

"Sure." I knew that wouldn't satisfy Edward, and his mouth opened to ask for more detail, but I spoke first, cutting him off. "She said in her email the other day that she's been worrying about me ever since she visited me at the hospital. I really miss her and Phil, but this is my home now." That wasn't a lie.

"Bella…" Edward began.

"No, I know that I belong here, with you. Nothing anyone says will change that." I said the words determinedly, and turned to look him full in the face.

"I love you, Edward. Don't ever doubt that. I will love you forever." The words pouring out of my mouth were so true, so certain, and even after all the time we'd been together, I still wanted Edward to say he felt the same way. I just couldn't grasp the possibility of somebody as surreal as Edward, as wonderful as Edward, to feel anything for a weak, human girl like me. Edward did more than voice his reciprocation of my feelings.

His eyes suddenly scorched in front of me, and he grabbed my face in his hands, unexpected tears welling up in my eyes. His lips, his cold, glass-smooth lips, crushed mine, and turned my mind numb. All I could feel was his impossibly soft hair in my hands as I ran them through it and pulled his head closer and closer to mine, shocked at his lack of restraint, that he was actually letting me get close enough to him to reach danger levels. Why wasn't he pushing me away? All I wanted was to kiss him forever, but I couldn't stop a tiny part of my brain from wondering why he wasn't stopping. One of his hands moved from my face to my curled hair and gently removed the little clips holding my hair in place.

He pulled away for a second and whispered, "I love you, Isabella Swan," before kissing me once more and taking away his other hand from my face to comb out my hair ever so carefully with his fingers. His face was inches from mine, and his scent sent me into an internal frenzy. He rested his chin on my shoulder for a moment, one hand sliding around me, the other still in my hair, winding it around his fingers and caressing it. Then he lifted his head back up and looked at me. "Why were you crying?" He demanded, his eyes directly in front of mine; I could do nothing but stare. When I had no answer, he pulled completely away and I was instantly dying for him to come back. I didn't want him to stop the perfect moment just because I couldn't control my tears! He took one step away. I shook my head, my eyes locked with his.

"You're upset about something, but I can't tell what it is. Bella, what is wrong?" His voice was so hard and demanding it disconcerted me.

"Nothing!" I squeaked. The tears were starting to leak again; I hadn't even noticed I was actually crying before. I blinked furiously.

"I can't read your mind, you have to tell me!"

"Edward! Honestly, nothing can possibly be wrong right now, you don't need to look so…so worried!"

'Worried' was a total understatement. In that moment, he looked…like a vampire. Only his eyes and mouth were moving, the rest of him was a statue.

"Bella…" His voice became cold. His burning gold eyes held mine fiercely.

"What?! Edward, what is the matter with you? I was crying because I was happy. But now you are seriously scaring me!"

He was breathing rapidly now, and I found it hard to believe that his heart was motionless. His eyes scalded me on the spot.

"Please, Edward… please don't look at me like that." My voice was shaking but pleading.

Edward sighed deeply and started to relax his rigid shoulders – but he did not relax completely, nowhere near. I honestly hadn't a clue what had gotten into him. I was genuinely frightened of him now. And I was never frightened of him. The front door slammed from below us, and considering we weren't directly above the ground floor, it was very loud. It suddenly dawned on me that it wasn't me alone who has fuelled Edward's sudden extreme mood swing. He must have heard something in someone's thoughts. Something bad. Very bad.

There was silence, and we still stared into each other's eyes. Who'd just slammed the door and come into the house?

"Edward?" He would know what I was referring to.

"It's Alice," he answered instantly, finally ripping his gaze from mine, glancing towards the door.

"She's coming up…Bella, there is no need to look so terrified."

_Oh, you can talk! _I thought suddenly – just a moment ago he'd looked like he was burning at the stake. What did he expect? I almost laughed at his words. Still, there were no footsteps approaching Edward's door…or so I'd thought. The three sudden raps on the door startled me, and I was relieved to be free of my stiletto. I would surely have toppled over, but I managed to steady myself with my other foot to Edward's surprise; his arms were out ready before his eyebrows twitched up. His arms returned to his sides.

"Yes, Alice, you can come in," He told her in a low voice, a voice no other human would have heard completely, but I was so used to listening for it, I managed to just about make

it out. He was staring at the door as it slowly opened. I caught sight of Alice's tiny frame and looked at her. I gasped. She looked…like a walking corpse – an inhumanly beautiful

corpse at that, but there was no life, no focus, in her midnight eyes. Dark purple shadows were below them. She was so thirsty, but it was more than that. She looked like there

was no hope at all in the world.

"Alice…" I mouthed, my voice deserting me. Oh God, what was going on? My vampire boyfriend had looked half-crazy just now, and now his sister looked like her whole family had

perished in front of her. I hadn't ever seen Alice like this, even when she was seeing into the future.

"No." Edward answered an unspoken question. His face looked carved from stone. He was staring straight into her eyes, his hard, focused expression contrasting with Alice's dazed

look. Edward nodded infinitesimally. I couldn't imagine what they were discussing. I waited anxiously, glancing back and forth at them during their silent exchange. I hated being

left in the dark.

"Bella, we're going to Charlie's. Now." He was sat my side in a flash. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and threw me onto his back. I was disoriented, not making a single protest.

Edward locked my dead arms around his neck, and I managed to secure my legs around him.

"No," he repeated under his breath, to Alice.

He spun and headed for the back wall. What? The wall was just pure glass – no opening in sight. Edward couldn't do that, with a fragile human like me on his back!

But no, I was wrong, as usual; there was indeed an opening. Edward pushed open the glass directly in the middle of the wall, and leaped out into the night. I gasped at the sudden

change in temperature and thrust of the cold air. I did not shut my eyes.

I tightened my chokehold on his neck. We landed with a light thud on the ground in a split second, the air slicing my face. And then we were running, me still on his back, breezing

through the forest, and my eyes were running wild, blurred greenness at every side. I didn't feel a single branch on my arms.

"Charlie's home so I'll meet you in your room," Edward murmured, voice steady as if he was standing stationary rather than running at superhuman speed.

"O…kay" I said breathlessly. My hair was blowing fiercely behind me and the only solid thing I could feel was Edward's cool marble body underneath me. We reached Charlie's in

about a minute. Edward released me on the porch and turned to face me. He took my quivering hands in his. Then he frowned. "Don't worry Bella. I can't stand to see you like this. Please don't stress, especially not over this. I'll be in your room." His voice was honey and velvet, and his eyes were scorching gold. He leaned down to kiss my forehead. Then he disappeared. I sighed and let myself in the unlocked door. I could hear the TV blaring as I trudged inside. I walked into the front room and stuck a fake smile on my face.

"Hey, Dad." I said to the sofa that Charlie was lounging on.

"Hey, Bells." His eyes remained on the TV screen as his turned his head slightly in my direction. "How was prom?"

"Um…not so bad. I'm pretty tired actually, I think I'll turn in." I did a yawn to prove my point.

"Alright then Bells. You sleep well, okay?" He then tore his eyes away from the screen and glanced up and down at me, looking a bit worried; my walking cast was of course very

much in place, prohibiting me of certain actions, but getting changed was something I could just about manage. Besides, Edward was going to be there if I tripped or something,

not that Charlie was in on that fact.

"Night, Dad." I turned and headed for the stairs before Charlie could say anything more. Edward appeared at my side a quarter of the way up the steps, and wrapped his cold iron

arm round my waist, lifting me so that I didn't have to walk.

My bed had already been made, and the clothes that had been lying on the floor were folded into a neat pile in a corner of the room. Edward set me carefully on my feet and pulled

me to the bed. I turned my body to face him as soon as we sat. My eyes hopefully demanded answers. Edward was holding my hand, looking at me until he glanced down at our

twining hands. His face was sombre. He looked up at me from under his impossibly long eyelashes.

"Bella…" he whispered, trailing off. He looked absolutely irresistible. I held his hand tighter.

"Yes?" I whispered as we gazed at each other. I could spend eternity staring into his seductive burning eyes, but he had something to tell me, and I wanted answers.

Suddenly, Edward's expression transformed. It became a mask of despair. His eyes tightened. He looked as if he was about to put his head in his hands and weep. Then his face abruptly became unreadable. His changing expressions left me a step behind, and I didn't have a clue what to think.

"Edward?" I whispered so my voice wouldn't break. He was still staring into my eyes, and I could feel that my face was not warm like it always was when he did this. What was he thinking? There was no way to tell. Edward appeared to be trying to read _my_ thoughts too. Finally he sighed, looked down, and began.

"Alice has lost her visions. She can't see anymore. And now she can't function. My family and I, we rely on those visions to tell us everything – if possible danger is coming, any suspicions about what we are, whether you will be safe. My hearing people's thoughts may well reveal what is happening now, but what about tomorrow? What about the months afterward? Ever since we became a family, we have never lived without prior knowledge of the future." Edward hesitated, and I took the unexpected opportunity to speak, frozen on the spot. My mouth was open in shock. Alice…couldn't see? If she couldn't see…then neither could Edward. He saw those visions just as clearly as she did. I knew how Edward reacted if I was in the slightest danger…and if he didn't even know about possible danger, I could only guess at what he would do. My gaze travelled to the window and I stared at the one star in sight.

"Wh-when did that happen? I mean, was it at Prom? Or…" I stammered, frantically trying to gather my thoughts to form a coherent sentence. I avoided his eyes; I was afraid of

what I would see there.

"Alice told me in her thoughts that her sight disappeared when she left Prom…she ran away, panicking, desperately trying to get it back before she gave up and came to us. As

soon as she was in hearing distance…" He trailed off, eyes closing, his voice gradually quieting to a whisper; I could see from his expression that he was not going to say any more.

My body was stiff, and I attempted to relax one part of my body at a time. But my eyes became slightly unfocused, and my vision started to blur at the edges.

Edward swept a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. My whole body tingled at his touch. The breath caught in my throat came out with a whoosh, trembling a shiny bronze strand of Edward's hair that was hanging over his forehead. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. He did not exhale. A crease appeared between his perfect brows. His thumb stopped caressing my hand. I spoke in a whisper.

"Edward, don't worry. Everything will be okay."

His eyes snapped open. "Of course it's not okay! It's up to me to protect you; how can I possibly do that now?" He closed his eyes again, releasing my hand. His head was bowed. I grabbed his hand back again and held it in both of mine. Cream and alabaster.

I leaned towards him, and put my forehead against the ice of his. I closed my eyes too. And there we sat for an immeasurable moment, until he pulled his face away. He once again took his hand away from my grasp and lifted my chin up to look at me.

"Bella, you must rest. Would you like me to stay here or sit away from you so you don't get too cold?"

"Stay. Stay next to me. Please." I whispered.

I lay awake for hours, eyes half closed and staring out the window, until I finally accepted that I couldn't sleep. So I turned to lay facing Edward, him lying on top of the covers, eyes closed, though of course he wasn't sleeping. It was pitch black outside; I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. Four twenty. I didn't mind that, because Edward was right

here next to me, serene and perfect.

My lips turned up into a small smile as I stared lovingly at his face. He didn't seem to register that I was awake. It didn't matter. I wanted to stroke his gorgeous shiny bronze hair,

which was its usual untidy self. Nothing was more beautiful than Edward lying so peacefully there with his head on my pillow right next to me.

My thoughts eventually wondered to my looming eighteenth birthday. I hated thinking about it, and I'd been pretending it didn't exist, but I knew it was inevitable. No longer

seventeen. No longer equal to Edward. Older. No! My forehead creased. Edward didn't stir. He was so calm that I actually wondered whether he could sleep after all. His breathing

was steady, even. If his heart was still beating I wondered whether it would react to me the same way mine always reacted to him. Probably not. I breathed in, and then out

silently, my eyes travelling up to the ceiling. Edward's mouth twitched. I stared at it, took in the smooth curve of his lips, and the perfection. I looked at the delicious pink colour,

utterly smooth.

His full lips parted, and I caught a glimpse of his gleaming white teeth, not dimmed in the slightest by the lack of light. The moon had long disappeared, but my curtains were open,

letting the remaining light seep in. I looked back at Edward's lips, and a sudden urge to kiss him overwhelmed me. My heart thumped with anticipation, and my palms started to

warm up. I was sure Edward had heard my heart rate rapidly speed. Should I do it? While he was seemingly unaware of my advances? The way he'd kissed me earlier tonight

suggested that he had perhaps altered his rules, his strict restrictions to keep me alive. But I knew he wouldn't give in so easily.

My racing heart told me to go for it. I breathed absolutely silently and then slowly raised my head from the pillow. Then I leaned in, closer and closer…

My face was now less than an inch from his, and I stopped breathing for a second. He would feel my body heat, and know my proximity. But I continued.

My lips touched his. Amazingly, Edward still didn't move. I leaned further in, my lips shaping around his. My heart was leaping, bursting, and pumping wonderful butterflies around

my stomach. I pressed my lips gently against his and kissed him once, then pulled back a bit to gauge his reaction. His fire eyes were half open, staring straight at me, seeing

directly into my soul. His breath came audibly, and it blew my hair away from my face. I couldn't work out his expression, but my guess was that he wanted more. His eyes…they

were so seductive…they were impossible to resist.

"Again…" he breathed, closing his eyes again.

I obeyed. I was slow, gentle, careful. I just wanted to let go and kiss him with all my strength and lock my arms around his neck, but I didn't want to push him too far. That was

the last thing I wanted. Edward was impossible to predict. And here I'd thought I wouldn't even make it to his lips before he pushed me away. I didn't need him to kiss me back.

I brushed my lips against his eyelids and both his cheeks. Edward's hand was suddenly in my hair, and I thought he would finally pull me back, but he pulled my head down to his

mouth, which was now closed.

He was stroking and tangling his hand in my hair, and I could feel the refreshing coolness there. I continued to kiss him very lightly, my lips barely touching his.

"Aren't you…tired?" He breathed.

"What do you think?" I murmured, and kissed him again. Both my hands were in his hair now, and one of his was in mine. When I stopped and opened my eyes, his eyes were

closed and there was a crease between his eyebrows as he groaned and put his face back to mine, kissing me now. I let him, not kissing back; he wanted his turn now.

His kisses were incredibly sweet, barely touching my lips. He tilted his head even more to get closer to my face. The world disappeared. It was just Edward and I. No one else

mattered right now. Nothing else mattered now. Time made no sense.

Then he pulled away and opened his eyes.

"Charlie's waking up," He said in a murmur.

"Huh?" It was four something the last time I checked. To my astonishment, dim orange-pink light was pouring through my window. It was now five forty three. Charlie had told me of his plans to go fishing with Billy Black today, and encouraged me to meet up with friends and go out.

"Don't go!" I cried, tugging on to him unnecessarily; he hadn't left my side.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella." He reassured me, stroking my cheek. "What would you like to do today?" he asked.

"Hmmm…I know. Let's visit our meadow." I suggested.

"I'm not sure that's absolutely safe…" he began.

"But I'll be with you, won't I? Unless you don't want to go…" I murmured that last sentence, thinking of how much I wanted to lie on the grass next to him again. And then I suddenly remembered that Alice wouldn't be able to warn Edward of any danger... she couldn't see. A lump started forming in my throat.

"That's what you want, so you shall have it." Edward said with determination in his velvet voice. His words made me feel spoilt. I didn't intend to be like that, not one bit. I ran my hand through my hair. It did not feel good. Holy crow, what did I look like?

"I need a human minute," I muttered. I didn't want a second away from him, but I really needed to sort myself out.

"Of course," Edward said, pulling away so I could emerge from my bed. He held the door open for me.

"Thanks," I told him.

The shower was hot and even though I didn't sleep, it woke me up. Sooner or later I was going to get very tired, very quickly, but for the moment I couldn't have been more alert. I wrapped a towel around me and looked into the mirror. My hair was dripping down my back. It looked black as night, contrasting with my pale skin. My face was sallow, and dark circles were under my eyes. I grabbed the hand towel and scrubbed at the ends to stop the dripping. Because I hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom I had to go back to my room and face Edward the way I looked now. I sighed. I brushed my teeth thoroughly and used some mouthwash. I put the toilet lid down and sat precariously on the edge of the seat, looking at my hands. I was surprisingly shy to go back to Edward.

_Bella, he loves you however you look _a voice reminded me. I sat there, glancing around the little bathroom, pondering whether to sit there like a lemon or go get dressed. I stayed like that for several minutes. I didn't actually know what I was worrying about. Edward had seen me at my best and worst, and everything in between. And yet I still doubted he would accept how plain and ordinary I looked, plus the drowned rat look I was sporting. A light knock on the door pulled me out of my reverie.

"Bella? Bella, is everything okay?" Edward sounded slightly panicked, and a swirl of adoration pulsed in my stomach.

"I'm fine," I shouted so he could hear through the door. Then I remembered that he would be able to hear me if I'd just spoken normally.

"Just a sec," I said, and stood up, glancing at my reflection in the mirror anxiously before unlocking the door and opening it to see Edward smiling at me, teeth sparkling like diamonds. He sighed.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered. I blushed deeply.

"Charlie…" I panicked, thinking he was within hearing distance, and also wanting to change the subject. "He's outside on the porch. You were in there for a good half hour." He grinned.

"Oh…well, I guess I'd better get dressed…um…" I mumbled, and stepped around him, clutching my towel with my life.

He appeared at my door to hold it open for me again, gentleman that he was.

"Thank you," I smiled up at him. He was still grinning. I loved looking at his face when he smiled. Well, I loved looking at his face, period.

I rummaged through my clothes while Edward supposedly waited outside. God, there was barely anything decent to wear. I wasn't going anywhere particularly formal or anything so I didn't know why I was taking so long. I decided to dry my hair first, and eventually threw on my blue blouse, along with dark jeans. I tugged my comb through my hair and

tied it into a half ponytail. I sighed as I scrutinised my reflection in the mirror. I looked okay enough.

Then there were three quiet raps on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said, turning to the door.

Edward entered slowly, appraising my outfit and hairstyle. He was looking at me like…he loved me. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off me, and I flushed a deep red again. My whole body became hot and tingly.

_Stop looking at me! _I begged in my head. Edward approached me silently, gracefully, like he was gliding rather than walking.

"Hi," I said, smiling weakly at his chest rather than his face.

"I'm very partial to that colour on you," Edward complimented, referring to my blue blouse like he had done before, nearer to when we'd first met.

"You have such a lovely blush." He told me, his lips curving up into a half smile, his eyes on my face. The least I could do was thank him, and yet I stood there blushing furiously like an idiot! _Talk to him, Bella _the voice in my head spoke again.

"Thanks, Edward. You know I'm actually dying of embarrassment here, right?"

"I sincerely hope you're not." He said seriously, but he smiled anyway. He stepped closer, and stroked my hair very gently. "Let's go," he suggested.

Since I didn't have time for breakfast, I grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen on the way out. When we reached the front door, I realized far too late that Edward hadn't gotten rid of his Volvo in the driveway. Charlie!

I glanced around as we stepped outside, but there was no sign of it. Edward must have driven it away this morning. It shouldn't surprise me. He was a vampire after all. Edward ran us to the meadow, and the sky was white, no sign of the sun. I didn't care. As long as I was here in the meadow with him, I was happy. We lay back on the cold grass.

"So is there anything at all I can get you for your birthday?" Edward laughed, knowing my answer before I said it. "Nope." I said. Why would I want anything when I already had him? He was better than an eternity's worth of birthday gifts, and more. I didn't want us to be even more out of balance than we already were. My birthday wasn't even here yet.

Well, it was kind of close now. Only a couple of months. A lot could happen in that time. Would Victoria have found me by then? I stifled a shudder. I refused to let that thought interrupt my afternoon with Edward. But it continued to play on my mind, picking, and then digging, deeper and deeper. No. Charlie would be safe, and so would my other future family, my vampire family.

"I will make sure I get you something. It's going to be your special day, your eighteenth birthday. Aren't people supposed to be counting down the days until that time? Edward was smiling, genuinely curious as to the reasons behind my stubborn refusal to be enthusiastic. I couldn't find anything about my birthday to be pleased about. I know it was only a year older than Edward, but I hated it just the same. "I'm going to be older than you, and I don't want that." I mumbled like a sulky child.

"That's the way it's supposed to be. Sweetheart, why are you worrying so? I may be physically seventeen forever, but you must not let that ruin your life. I don't want you to ever be sad, especially not about this." Edward's voice was strong and concerned, and he was frowning.

"My birthday's months away, why are you bringing it up?" I moaned. My voice was petulant. I pulled myself together as soon as I spoke the words.

"I'm sorry, ignore that. How do you put up with me?" I giggled; chagrin causing a blush, but I felt mortified at my ill manners.

"I don't know. But whatever the reason, I can't live without it." He smiled gently.

"Yeah, right." I muttered. Edward sighed.

"I have to hunt tomorrow. Jasper and Emmett are coming too. But I won't go as far as the others and I'll be back within twenty four hours, I promise." He looked up and down my face before his gaze rested on my lips. "Okay. Well, enjoy yourself. I know I'll miss you like crazy no matter how long you're away." I smiled at him sadly.

"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. I'll be thinking of you every second I'm away. But try to have fun yourself; don't waste time thinking about me. I'm already taking up too much of your life as it is."

"Thinking about you is all I ever do! Of course it's not a waste of time. Ha, I'll be the judge of that." He leaned towards me, and I leaned in slowly in response to press my lips to his. He kissed me softly once, and I wondered how much he was holding back, how much I was missing out on by being fragilely human while he was so much stronger. He was amazing, and I was ordinary. But there was something that gave me happiness. He loved me, even with all my human flaws. And he didn't even see them as flaws, but as things he simply could not live without. I could understand that, sort of.

We lay and talked for what must have been hours, and I made sure I made the most of today before he left tomorrow. Eventually thick grey clouds began to approach and Edward knew that I was thinking about home; he knew my face well. A drop of rain fell on my forehead.

"Perhaps we should be getting back…" He laughed gently, and added, "I don't want to leave any more than you do, Bella."

I smiled and got to my feet. Edward stood and swung me effortlessly over his back. I nestled my face into his cold, hard neck. Instead of heading for Charlie's like I expected, we ended up at Edward's majestic mansion. He unlocked my arms from around his neck, took my hand, and opened the front door. Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were sitting on the cream sofa, watching TV, though I doubted they were paying real attention to it. Rosalie glanced at me, looked me up and down, and then stared back at the screen. But Emmett and Jasper jumped up, instantly acknowledging our entrance.

"Yo, what's up Bella? Fall down today?" Emmett's booming laugh almost shook the house. I actually didn't trip or otherwise incapacitate myself at all today. I looked down at my knees; there were grass stains on my jeans. Nothing gets past a vampire. Emmett punched Edward's shoulder in a brotherly way and wiggled his eyebrows up and down at me. I almost stuck my tongue out at him like a five year old and told him to shut up, but I wasn't sure how he would react. So I stayed blushing like an idiot. Edward didn't play along with Emmett, who then threw himself back on the sofa next to Rosalie. She was still staring at the TV.

Carlisle and Esme glided down the stairs hand in hand. There was no sign of Alice. I immediately panicked, remembering what she had looked like the last time I'd seen her. Where was she? And if she was away, wouldn't Jasper be with her? I didn't get it.

"Bella, sweetheart! How wonderful to see you again." Esme's warm smile and welcome relaxed me, and my confidence returned. Carlisle was smiling too.

"Hi Esme and Carlisle, it's great to see you too. How are you?" I smiled at them; I felt so pleased to see their faces again. Edward squeezed my hand, and I could see him smiling at me from the corner of my eye.

"We are fine thank you. Please make yourself at home." said Carlisle, beaming. I could see Jasper hovering at the foot of the stairs, behind Carlisle and Esme. He was standing motionlessly, utterly stiff. I knew why. My scent; the most recent member of the Cullen family found it harder than the others to be around me because of it. And without a doubt, Alice's absence was the main factor. I was seriously getting worried. After the way she had looked last night, anything could have happened. _She could be absolutely fine, just out hunting somewhere…_

No. It didn't satisfy me. I had to ask, to find out.

"Where's Alice?" I asked Carlisle. I saw Edward glance at me from the corner of my eye. It was a glare. I ignored it. I wondered if Carlisle or Esme would lie to me. It didn't seem likely. Edward was still glaring at me. It felt as if his eyes were burning through my face. I hated making him angry, absolutely hated it. But I had to know. Carlisle's smile faded very slightly, but he answered my question.

"Alice has been absent since yesterday night. She needed to leave to clear her thoughts." His voice was calm, informative, controlled, like the medical professional he was. I knew he wouldn't say any more. That was fine; I'd found out what I needed to know. Edward's livid glare tore from me and ended up on Carlisle, who did not meet his eyes. Why was Edward so angry?

I slowly walked over towards the TV, a couple of steps away from where Rosalie was sitting. Baseball was on. I wondered if Charlie knew he was missing a game. It wasn't like him to go out when one was on.

I glanced in the corner of my eye at Rosalie, beautiful Rosalie. The only Cullen who took an intense dislike to me the moment she'd heard about Edward and I. Her blonde waves flowed over her shoulders and down the back of the sofa. I picked up a strand of my own hair; it was poker straight. I examined it for a second before I let it tumble out of my fingers. I sighed. I suddenly felt tears welling up. I furiously wiped my hand across my eyes before they could reach full flow. I blinked and swallowed hard. I had to keep it together better. I was almost eighteen, for goodness' sake.

"Bella." Edward's voice in my ear made me jump. I turned to him, desperation on my face. He took my hand, looking at our hands as he did so.

But for the first time ever, to my utter astonishment and disgust, I didn't want to hold his hand. Edward had done nothing wrong and yet my sudden miserable mood had not made an exception for him - that had never happened before.

I gently tugged away my hand from his cold grasp. Edward released me immediately and looked into my eyes; hurt stared back at me from his now dark honey irises-but only I could decipher that hidden emotion in his controlled, hard expression. Fury at myself hit me like a slap in the face. I stepped sideways, turned and walked to the glass back wall, staring out at the meadow ahead. The tears spilled over. I just let them fall, not bothering to wipe them away. A low sob suddenly broke out from my throat. Then all my fears crashed down on me. Alice had gone, her visions lost, and I didn't know when she would come back. I just prayed it would be soon. My own life meant little to me but my family's lives were another story. If I got hurt because of some unknown danger, it would hurt Edward, and if he wasn't happy, then his family would never be. I stood there motionlessly for a minute.

Suddenly I noticed that the TV was switched off. Silence. I spun around. The room was empty. Not even Edward was there.

I listened out for footsteps, anything at all to prove I was not abandoned. My heartbeat was normal, not reacting, and then suddenly it was thumping in my ears.

I heard a distant humming. I took three brisk steps toward the sound, my bad leg protesting. My cast would be ready to come off after another week. But forcing it to let my leg take quicker steps than normal didn't help when it wasn't completely healed. My tears were gone; I was completely distracted. I listened closer now, unmoving. The humming continued. I stopped breathing for a second to strain my ears.

Then the door opened. In walked Alice, Edward in tow, Jasper on her other side holding her hand and smiling widely – his teeth seemed to light up the entire room.

"Alice!" I wailed, hurrying as quickly as my walking cast would allow. I couldn't get there fast enough. I hurled myself into Alice's open arms; I threw mine around her. She held me close but she seemed a little stiff. She sniffed. "Um, Bella, I haven't had a chance to hunt yet…" she began. Her voice was perfect and bell-like.

"Oh, sorry!" I set her free immediately. I could tell that the life was back in her face, the focus returned. The relief that washed over me then was profound.

I knew instantly that I wanted to apologize to Edward. I was still disgusted that I could just walk away from him like that with no explanation.

I took three steps and grabbed his hands. I struggled to stretch on my tiptoes. I couldn't manage it. I lost my balance and fell into his arms. He moved his hands to my waist and lifted me up. He spun me around, laughing quietly in his musical voice. Before I knew it, I was laughing with him, and he was no longer stressed, but gazing at me again with the scorching eyes. I couldn't see anyone but him; the rest of the room was a blur. Edward cuddled me to his chest. He kissed the top of my head and placed me carefully onto my feet. He placed his hand on my cheek. It burned despite the icy temperature of his hard, smooth skin. Edward smiled his crooked smile at my blush. I stared just like I had the very first time I'd seen it. My stomach rumbled as I gawked. I giggled, embarrassed.

"Esme…" Edward called, somewhat projecting his voice. She appeared silently beside him in a split second. "Yes, Edward dear. Oh Bella, darling, you must be starving, what would you like to eat?" Esme touched my arm lightly as she spoke. I smiled at her.

"I don't mind. Don't put yourself out because of me; I don't want to be a burden."

"Bella, we have plenty to eat, don't worry about that."

"Um, a sandwich would be fine. Thank you, Esme."

Edward rolled his eyes.

"I'll make something, Esme. I won't be long, Bella." He disappeared as soon as he spoke the words. Esme raised her eyebrows at me, then smiled and disappeared after him. My stomach was really rumbling now. I sat on the edge of the sofa and waited while Edward made my lunch. I didn't have to wait long.

He returned with a steaming bowl of freshly made pasta and tomato; it looked absolutely mouth-watering. He sat with me while I ate and switched on the TV. I finished in just under five minutes, and started to ease myself up to return my bowl to the kitchen. Of course, Edward stopped me and took it away for me, returning in under half a second. I didn't even have time to look at his departure he was so fast. I felt all warm and satisfied, completely content. "Thank you Edward, that was delicious." I grinned.

"You're welcome." He replied.

Edward drove me home around half past five, and Charlie still wasn't home. His cruiser was nowhere to be seen and the house lights were off. Was he still fishing with Billy? I looked at Edward as he opened the car door and lifted me out. He didn't seem to acknowledge the question in my eyes. Perhaps my thoughts weren't so obvious on my face after all.

"Do you know when Charlie is coming home – I thought he would be back by now." I asked. Understanding entered Edward's expression, and he answered in his lovely velvet voice.

"When he's near you'll be the first to know. Don't worry, love." Now that was cleared up, I wanted some answers about Alice. What had happened to make her happy again? Edward looked at me. Curiosity burned in his eyes, and that familiar hint of frustration I'd seen that very first day was present again. I didn't say anything about it until we were up in my room. Edward lay on my bed, arms folded casually behind his head. I sat down cautiously on the edge of the mattress. Taking in my body language, Edward sat up and was sitting right beside me in an instant.

"Did you want to tell me something?" He asked gently, though his eyes yearned to know every detail.

"I just wanted to ask something actually…" I trailed off, trying to find the best way to bring it up, and not doing a good job of it. We ended up sitting in silence until Edward prompted me to continue.

"Tell me," He begged.

"Well, I wondered what happened with Alice – I mean, did her sight come back? When I saw her today, she was fine, but yesterday…" I couldn't find the words to describe the way she'd looked last night, didn't want to think about it. Edward responded straight away. "Alice has managed to recover her visions, yes. Neither of us knows what happened…that's a mystery…" Edward looked down, voice lowering as he said the last words. He didn't look up and a little crease appeared between his eyebrows.

I felt a wash of relief at his words. But no one knew why she couldn't see yesterday… Despite this mystery, I relaxed and placed my focus entirely on Edward, who was still frowning at the floor.

Suddenly his head snapped up, and he stared straight ahead.

"Charlie's almost home. I'll be back within five minutes, I promise." He took my hands, squeezing them very gently before kissing me lightly on the top of my head and disappearing out the open window before I could speak. Then I remembered that his Volvo was in the driveway so it figured he would have to get rid of it before Charlie came home and started asking questions.

I decided to start the dinner, and was putting some leftover lasagne into the oven when Charlie arrived home about two minutes later. He greeted me cheerfully, and asked me how my day was before he switched on the TV like any other day. He hadn't had dinner when he'd gone to Billy's after their fishing trip, and once I'd started the timer on the stove, I finally made my way upstairs very, very slowly so I wouldn't trip as I so often did.

But Edward wasn't in my room when I went in. I glanced around me, frowning as I rushed to the window to look. No sign. Had it even been five minutes? I started to turn, sighing at my impatience.

"Oh!" I gasped, jumping out of my skin. Edward was in front of me, grinning mischievously. My heart thumped wildly at the surprise and his proximity.

"Did I scare you?" He seemed pleased with himself at the prospect; obviously he had.

"Almost," I breathed, the shock wearing off by the second.

"Almost!" He scoffed, his smile widening, and his dazzlingly white teeth had me mesmerized to the point of insanity. I stared, mouth slightly open.

Suddenly he disappeared again and reappeared in my rocking chair, lying right back.

He reached out for me. I started to make my way over, but then Edward's head suddenly turned to the door and he dropped his arms. So I stopped in my tracks and waited.

"Charlie's coming. Someone wants to talk to you on the phone." He was still looking at the door, and before I knew it my face was in his hands and he was kissing my forehead.

"I'll be back soon," He murmured, and his expression told me the last thing he wanted to do was leave, even if it was just for a few minutes.

"Who's on the phone?" I asked, clutching him; I didn't want him to go at all.

"You'll see," He whispered.

I almost fell forwards when I was suddenly holding thin air. Then there were four knocks on the door. Charlie didn't wait for an answer, and I waited as the door creaked open.

"Hey Bells – Jacob's on the phone wanting to talk. Sounds real eager."

"Jacob? Oh." Why would Jacob want to talk to me? Maybe he just wanted a chat. Nothing wrong with that, was there? I stood still, thinking.

"Quick, Bells, before he hangs up." Charlie looked… well, thrilled. He was obviously glad that someone that wasn't a Cullen was calling the Swan household to talk to me.

I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed the receiver.

"Hey Jacob, what's up?" I sounded a little impatient but otherwise, calm.

"Hey there, Bella. Nothing much. Um…" he seemed nervous to continue. I prompted him, smiling a little.

"Yes?"

"Well… did Charlie say anything to you about Edward?" The words came out in a rush. Edward? Charlie hadn't mentioned him at all. Well, I hadn't seen much of my dad today - I'd

been with Edward.

"No - what is it?" Obviously nothing that serious; I was only with him a minute ago.

"At home I heard my dad telling Charlie… that he should try to keep you away from Edward. He told me to call you…" His voice was husky, and he spoke slowly.

I was silent for a few seconds. This was almost a repeat of what he said at Prom yesterday. Telling me that his dad wanted me to leave Edward. Why was Jacob telling me this again?

"Jacob you told me this before…um, I don't get it. What's new?" I was wary, and to be honest a little irritated. Why did this matter so much to Billy? Getting his son to tell me this again instead of just telling me himself?

"Oh, yeah, sorry Bella. I know I sorta told you this before, but my dad said that it would be safer for you if you don't have vampires in your life, and that he will talk to Edward for you if you don't say something…so…um. Yeah. Don't ask me why. I don't actually see why he can't just leave it alone. Please don't be mad, I'm just the messenger here. I'm sorry." I couldn't doubt his sincerity at his apology. Now I was angry, but not at Jacob. Billy was getting on my nerves. Seriously getting on my nerves. What, he was going to get Edward to break up with me? No way. No way was I just going to accept that. My voice was strained when I spoke again. I struggled to keep it level, calm.

"Well, tell your dad to mind his own business, and that I thank him for his concern but I refuse to end my relationship because of his prejudices. And I will know if he speaks to Edward, because _Edward _has the decency to tell me _face to face_ what I need to know. Jacob, I didn't want to say that to you, so I'm sorry, but pass on the message for me. I can't deal with this anymore."

"Sure, sure. Sorry again. I'll try to make him see your side, but… Oh well. I've gotta go, see ya later Bella."

"Bye Jacob." He hung up before I finished speaking. I sighed and put down the phone. The TV suddenly became louder, as if Charlie was listening and suddenly realised he might be caught out.

I took two deep breaths, and breathed out slowly. I sat down in the living room to distract myself by watching the baseball my dad appeared to be engrossed in. Charlie wasn't one to show his feelings openly, and I was usually pretty glad about that, especially now. I would definitely bet he was listening in. I suddenly wondered if Edward was waiting for me upstairs. He would have seen in Charlie's thoughts that I had sat here. I wanted to be calm when I saw him; he would instantly know if I wasn't. I stared at the screen, not seeing anything. I was almost motionless, only my chest moving gently up and down. My thoughts took over, and my eyelids started to get sore and heavy. As the sky dimmed, the darkness swept over me. And the dreams began.

When I woke up I was in my bed, Edward lying next to me on top of the duvet, and I could feel his cool temperature giving me goose bumps. He was gazing curiously at my face, eyes a lovely golden shade. He must have left and hunted – his eyes were more honey-brown than gold yesterday. How long must I have been sleeping? I frowned, trying to work out the hours in my head. But I knew it was Monday morning; that I was absolutely certain. I'd missed dinner last night. My stomach growled.

"How are you today?" Edward asked in a serious tone. But he had a tiny smile playing on the edge of his lips. Sometimes, I just wished I knew what _he_ was thinking.

"What time is it?" I asked, ignoring his question and trying to sit up a little.

"It's just gone six; you fell asleep rather early, I have to say. You must have been tired. But you didn't answer my question." Edward said, his beautiful smile gradually growing more pronounced.

"I'm fine. Did Charlie bring me in here or you? When did you leave to hunt?" My voice was weak; I was feeling confused and not looking forward to the long day of school ahead. Well, at least I had biology class with Edward today…

Edward's eyebrows lifted infinitesimally and his smile faded slightly.

"Bella, do you really think Charlie would be too happy about me appearing out of nowhere to bring you to bed?" He laughed, and the glorious music rang in my ears. I sighed quietly as I listened, memorising it.

"Well, anyway, I'd better go get ready for school-"

"Bella…there's no school…" Edward interjected gently. I frowned, confused. Then the obvious slowly dawned on me.

"Oh…" I breathed. Of course… it was summer! My memory was starting to scare me. I decided to get up anyway, get busy. I got up so abruptly I stumbled on my way out of bed, and in the corner of my eye, Edward twitched.

When I hurriedly washed, dressed and emerged from the bathroom, Edward was there, smiling, hand held out for mine. He looked like he was hiding some secret he knew nobody would ever dream of finding out.

But he stayed silent, still smiling. Then he took my hand, gently tugging me in the direction of the stairs.

"Hey, where are we going?" I giggled, excited by his grin. Edward didn't answer, scooping me up into his arms in one swift movement. And then we flew down the stairs. Before I knew it we were out the front door and the unusually mild breeze washed the smell of fresh leaves across my face. My hair danced over my cheeks. Edward pulled me around to his back. Instinctively I locked my arms in a chokehold around his neck. And then we were hurtling through the forest. My hair whipped back furiously and I gasped, not in shock, but pure thrill. Edward was breathing steadily, and I leaned down into his cold neck. The wondrous, exquisite scent of him overwhelmed my senses and I inhaled slowly while my lips curved up into a small content smile.

"Hold on!" Edward chuckled happily.

I laughed, kissing his neck very lightly. He sighed quietly. And Edward continued to glide through the trees. I never wanted him to stop.


	2. Impediment

**Chapter 2: Impediment**

**_Here is my second chapter of After The Twilight. Bella's point of view. I hope you enjoyed chapter 1 and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. This is a little longer than the first part. I would very much appreciate your reviews and ideas for improvement. Nothing helps me more than having feedback. Enjoy! :D - Kell x_**

Eventually, Edward began to slow. I glanced around at our surroundings when he slowed to a stop. We had reached an opening of the forest trees. I slid down from Edward's back and looked out into a busy street, full of shops and restaurants and rushing people.

"How about spending the day in Seattle?" Edward put his arm around my waist as he smiled crookedly down at me. I smiled up at him warmly.

"Sure…" I agreed, before we stepped out of the opening and strolled down the street.

"But before we do anything, you need to eat."

We soon passed through Pike Place Market, where I grabbed a quick sandwich before we explored it together. As we walked hand in hand, more and more people, especially women, stared at Edward with a mix of mild astonishment and awe and then glanced at me in envy. Edward paid no attention to them whatsoever. He looked down at me frequently, smiling his beautiful crooked smile. Several strands of his bronze hair hung over his warm honey eyes.

We walked past dozens of stores and stalls. People were playing music almost everywhere I looked. There was so much going on all around that I soon relaxed and forgot about the staring eyes.

After exploring the market, it was lunchtime and Edward took me to Green Lake, where we wandered on the trail by the flowing stream. The gentle wind brushed my hair over my face.

"Edward, can I ask you something?" I was looking down now, wary of his reaction to the question I was about to ask.

"Of course," Edward replied, looking at me.

"Why do you think Alice's visions disappeared, and then returned so quickly? Has this ever happened before?" My voice was low, so no one but him could hear.

Edward hesitated before answering, his lips becoming a thin hard line. He looked forwards, eyes squinting unseeingly into the distance. "Not like this, no. Never. It was a shock to all of us."

He didn't say any more, and I got the sense he was holding something back, that he wasn't telling me the whole truth. This piqued my curiosity even more. But at the same time I didn't want to make him say something he didn't want to. His hair blew over his eyes for a moment, hiding his expression. He looked down.

"What is it?" I whispered, worried about what he may be thinking.

"It's nothing," Edward muttered, now looking straight ahead, avoiding my gaze. My hair whipped in my face and I threw it back over my head. I squinted at him, trying to work out his expression. But it was unreadable. My feet planted abruptly, and I almost got dragged forward before Edward realized I'd stopped, and let go of my hand. He looked over my shoulder, eyes still narrowed. He seemed reluctant to look at me.

I put my hand on his cold cheek. He finally moved his eyes to my concerned face.

"You can tell me. You can tell me anything, you know that." My voice was very gentle and encouraging, though I was slowly growing frantic inside.

"No. I'm fine Bella, really. Don't worry about me. Come on, let's walk." His voice was rough. He pulled me gently along by my hand, but in such a way that I couldn't protest.

I stared at him for the rest of the walk, not caring that I nearly tripped and fell several times from not looking where I was going. Edward never lost his patience with my constant stumbling. That was normal, for me at least.

We later approached a nearby restaurant, where there was a crowd of people sitting outside at the marble tables. Edward took me through the bunch of people standing around the large gold-lined double doors. They gawped but moved out of our way quickly once they saw Edward's expression.

Inside, there was an array of tables filled with people chatting and passing around food. I couldn't see a single empty table. As I glanced around the restaurant, a waitress with a blonde ponytail chatting with a friend looked at us from across the room before approaching eagerly.

"Hello! Welcome. Have you reserved a table?" She asked me with a warm smile. That surprised me – I would have thought she would only look at Edward, like the waitress in Port Angeles.

"Uh…Edward did you?" I looked up at him. He had a seemingly forced friendly smile on his face.

"Yes, we have, thank you." Edward told the waitress before looking at me intently.

The waitress led us to our table, which was right at the back of the restaurant in a private booth, much like the one in Port Angeles. It seemed somewhat secluded from the other tables. This was good.

Edward sat next to me as we settled into our seats. I ordered two cokes as we were handed the menus. I almost gasped as I looked at the menu. The meals were unbelievably expensive. I should have known Edward would spend too much money on me today. This was ridiculous. Why waste all that on one meal and a couple of drinks?

"Edward… do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?" I asked, my thoughts spilling into my words.

"Sure. This isn't even a lot of money to me. This is nothing." Edward said with a smirk. I scowled at him. I desperately tried to look for the least expensive meal on the menu. There wasn't much variation in terms of money. In the end I pushed it away and decided to leave it until the waitress asked. There were more important things to discuss. I opened my mouth to speak, but Edward cut me off.

"Bella… I'm sorry for the way I behaved earlier, that was unacceptable. I was… scared… Scared of what you would say, what you would think…" Edward trailed off, looking deep into my eyes. His words were so sincere. I stared into his eyes with adoration. He was scared… why would he be scared? As if I could possibly frighten him.

I waited for him to speak again, trying to make sense of his words. When he stayed silent, I spoke up. "Edward, you don't have to be sorry to me. What _I'm_ scared of is that you can't tell me what's bothering you. Tell me," I pleaded.

Edward sighed, and began.

"I can't keep this from you any longer. Bella… Alice… Alice hasn't got her visions back. It was a lie. I'm so sorry." His eyes searched my face rapidly for my reaction. He looked so sad. He shouldn't get so stressed over my thoughts. I'd known something like this was coming; his face revealed so much to me now. But the confirmation still shocked me nevertheless.

I breathed in, taking in Edward's revelation. I didn't speak, I just thought over what he'd said, nodding slowly and looking away to avoid tangling my thoughts by looking into his probing golden eyes. I took a few sips of my drink. Edward started to grow anxious at my silence, eyes still searching my face. He was just about to prompt me to speak when the waitress returned to take our orders.

"What can I get you? Or would you prefer more time?" The waitress asked us politely.

Edward continued to look at me. I glanced at the menu again and picked the first meal on it as I did once before, raising my eyebrows at it but deciding to go with it anyway. The waitress asked Edward if he wanted anything. When he declined, she frowned disbelievingly but didn't ask again. Once the waitress was gone, I looked Edward full in the face, eyebrows still raised. I frowned and looked down, thinking. He was still waiting for my response, fascination mixing with the anxiety in his eyes. He tilted his head to one side, curiosity now becoming the dominant emotion on his face. Then I looked him straight in the eyes.

"You don't have to lie to prevent me from being hurt, or scared, or whatever else you think I'll feel. It's ok." I said reassuringly.

"I just wanted you to be happy without worrying about anything. I don't know what to do." Edward sighed. "But right now, there's nothing that _can_ be done. I'll have to be patient. Even if I don't want to be."

"Yeah, I guess. It won't go on for much longer, Edward. I mean, it would be impossible for Alice to…" I trailed off, unable to finish.

"We'll talk about this later, Bella. Somewhere less public. I want you to enjoy your meal."

I nodded. Then he leaned down toward me, placed his hand gently on my neck under my ear and pressed his cold lips to mine softly. My heart immediately started thudding in my chest, threatening to burst out at any moment. His cold hand on my neck cooled me down. As Edward continued to kiss me, my head began to swim, but I ignored it and kissed him more deeply. It wouldn't be long before he pulled away. His icy lips were so gentle and soft, and they caressed my lips to the point where they became even warmer. And then he pulled a few inches away, breathing faster than normal. He smiled his crooked smile at me. I tried to stifle my gasps for air. He leaned his head against mine and I closed my eyes. Edward quietly sighed and his wonderful breath swept across my warm face.

"I love you," He whispered.

"I love you," I whispered back.

My food came shortly after and I ate it slowly. It tasted delicious. Edward was quiet while I ate, playing with a strand of my hair. His other hand was on his full coke glass, as if he was about to drink it. I took it from his hand and helped by pouring some into my glass. I slid his glass back into his unmoving hand.

"Have it. It's not as if I'm going to," Edward chuckled, sliding it back across the table to me. I laughed, but didn't take any more.

"So what's everybody thinking in here then?" I joked, glancing round the restaurant.

"Well, I wouldn't say _everybody_… but you'd be surprised at how predictable people are. Not a single mind has captured my interest so far, as you can probably imagine. And yet the one mind I'd give anything to hear is unattainable…" Edward mused, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I looked down, smiling. I was, of course, very grateful that my thoughts were a mystery to him.

"Would you like anything else?" The waitress smiled, taking my plate once I'd finished.

"No, thanks." I said. The waitress looked at Edward.

"No, no thank you. Can we have the check please?" said Edward in his seductive velvet voice. The waitress looked at Edward for a little longer than necessary, then nodded quickly and went away.

"She's thinking I'm very strange for not wanting anything to eat here." Edward murmured in my ear. I giggled quietly at the silliness of it. A typical vampire would have found plenty to eat here. I shuddered away from that thought. I took his hand on the table and held it, feeling the icy smooth marble skin and marvelling at it. Edward closed his eyes for a moment before whispering, "You don't know how good that feels."

So I took his hand in both of mine instead and stroked it. It was so cold, but so perfect. I looked at his long white fingers, the fingers that had saved my life all those months ago, in the school parking lot. I'd had no idea what he was back then, yet I'd known he was beyond the ordinary. Edward was not someone you could look past and forget. He was extraordinary. More than that. He was out of this world.

"Here's your check," the waitress placed it on the table in front of us. Edward had several bills ready to hand over. I didn't even want to know how many dollars he gave her.

We got up to go, and the waitress glanced over her shoulder curiously at Edward as she walked away. As we exited the restaurant, I thanked Edward, wrapping my arms around him, despite my disbelief at the impossible amount of money he'd spent on my meal. He held me close as we walked.

I felt a vibration from Edward, and then he pulled out his silver phone, flipping it open.

Edward spoke quietly into the phone. It was Alice. He responded so quickly the conversation was over in a few seconds. He flipped the phone shut and put it back in his pocket quickly. He didn't tell me what he discussed with her.

Edward ran me back home, and he stopped on the porch. I slid down from his back and opened the door. Charlie hadn't finished work yet, so he wouldn't be back for a while.

"Edward, could you check if there's any messages on the phone?" I asked as I went upstairs to the bathroom.

"Sure." Edward agreed, disappearing in an instant.

I hurried downstairs to the living room to find Edward sitting on the couch, still as a statue. I examined his face briefly before joining him. He turned to me, frowning deeply.

"Billy's coming over later. He's going to talk to your father about you and me." He muttered.

"What? But…" I thought back, remembering what Jacob had said on the phone the other day. This must be Billy putting his words into action. Did he know Edward was going to be here with us?

"He can't do that! I have to stop him. I'll sort this out, Edward." I told him, getting angry.

"I think that's a good idea. I somehow don't think it would work if I were to deal with him," Edward said under his breath.

I sighed in frustration. What was I going to say to Billy? Or my dad, for that matter? I decided to be calm, reasonable. Then they would have no argument.

I switched on the TV and Edward lay back on the couch. When I still sat in the same position, he wrapped his cold arms round my waist and pulled me down playfully so we were lying beside each other, laughing.

I kept flicking through the channels endlessly before I gave up and threw down the remote. Edward and I talked until I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up on the driveway. Edward's back stiffened. I turned to him, frowning in confusion. He stayed silent, concentrating hard. I started to get up to greet Charlie as he came through the door.

"Bella?" He asked uncertainly as usual.

"In here, Dad," I answered, walking across the living room to the hall. I could hear something being wheeled along. Charlie had brought Billy here! I spun around to look at Edward, panicking.

Edward looked just as panicked as me, which was a surprise and a relief at the same time – I didn't want him to be angry. He was sitting up very straight, eyes focussed. I'd said I would sort this.

"Edward!" I mouthed quickly, and he whispered, "I'll be in your room." as he got up and walked toward me before he disappeared.

"Bella, can you wheel Billy through for me?" Charlie asked, still in the hall with him.

I went to do as he asked, saying hello to Billy.

"Hi, Bella," said Billy with a smile. Concern was in his eyes as he registered my still-panicked expression, which I didn't hide quickly enough. I wheeled him through to the living room while Charlie hung up his gun. I sat on the couch where Edward had been a few seconds ago. I could feel Billy's dark eyes on me as we sat in awkward silence until Charlie joined us.

"So what did you get up to today, Bell?" Charlie asked. He didn't seem to be interrogating me, I noticed with relief.

"Oh, I just hung out with Edward today," I said, knowing it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but not wanting to lie to him.

"Jacob's been asking about Bella ever since the prom. He was hanging out with some friends round the beach today." Billy's piercing black eyes were looking straight ahead, though I knew he was talking to me. I wished he would get on with it. Edward was without a doubt listening in. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing as me.

Charlie switched the TV to a baseball game and relaxed on the couch, on the other end. Billy wheeled himself to face the TV and was next to the arm of the chair, where I was sitting. I turned myself to face the direction of the TV, not wanting to see Billy's eyes. Maybe they would only talk if I left the room. I stayed there anyway. Besides, how was I going to stop Billy from talking to Charlie if I wasn't here?

I decided to offer drinks to set the wheels in motion, otherwise we would be sat here all night with nothing sorted. As I got up, the phone rang. I trudged to the kitchen, wondering who it could be.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bella, it's Jess." She spoke quickly, as if she was in a rush.

"Oh, hey Jess. What's up? Is everything ok?" I asked her. I hadn't seen her since Prom.

"Is your dad there?" She asked warily, ignoring my question.

"No, he's in the next room. Why?" I asked curiously.

"I wanted to talk to you. It's Mike. Did he act strangely to you or anything at Prom?" she demanded. I was puzzled as to why she would ask that. I hadn't really spent any time with him there. "Uh, no. I didn't really see much of him. But he was with you wasn't he?"

"Yes, but he got really distant towards the end and just left for like, no reason. And he didn't even say a proper goodbye. I wondered if you'd seen him and knew what was going on." She was impatient now.

"I think you should be asking Mike about this… um, I didn't notice anything strange. I was outside for most of the night," I said truthfully, frowning. I wanted to get back to Charlie and Billy, and I grew impatient myself. I couldn't completely hide it from my voice. Jess didn't even seem to notice.

"What, were you with Edward all night? Well, if Mike calls you or anything, let me know straight away." She didn't give me a chance to answer her question.

"Sure," I agreed reluctantly, "But I don't think he will. I've got to go, Jess--"

"Is Edward with you?" Jess suddenly cut me off. I was fed up with her interrogations, and why now? Prom was days ago. And she was asking me if Edward was here? What was that about?

"Yes he is, so… I guess I'll talk to you soon…"

I was about to take the receiver from my ear, only for Jess to almost shout down the phone, "Wait!"

I didn't hang up but I didn't respond to her.

"Would you come shopping with me tomorrow? Around three, maybe? I could really use the company." Jess was all of a sudden hopeful and sweet. I didn't buy it. But if it got Dad and Billy off my back, maybe it was worth going.

"Yeah, I'll come. I'll call you tomorrow, ok? See you, Jess."

"Bye." Jess sounded pleased with herself as she hung up. I sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, listening out for a sign of Charlie and Billy's conversation. Straining my ears, I could make out Charlie's voice, almost drowned out by the noise of the TV.

"…Well, I'm pretty sure she has a good head on her shoulders…. Don't worry buddy. I'm taking care of her. I'll make sure she doesn't spend all her time with him, don't you worry."

I got exactly what I needed from those words. Breathing out quietly, I grabbed a few beers for Charlie and Billy from the refrigerator and brought them in to them, controlling my expression. Charlie smiled gratefully, and I thought he was trying to hide a guilty expression that lay underneath. Billy thanked me with his rumbling voice. I wondered if they'd known that I had been eavesdropping. Letting that thought go, I decided to go upstairs and see Edward.

As I quietly pushed open my door and closed it behind me, I saw him sitting cross-legged in the middle of my bed, looking at me. He smiled gently as I met his gaze and sat in front of him in the same position.

"Hello," said Edward in his quiet musical voice.

"Hi," I tried to copy his flowing velvet voice, but of course I couldn't do it anything like him.

"Billy's still talking about us now – your father doesn't seem bothered." he told me, taking a strand of my hair between his fingers.

"I wish Billy would leave it alone." I moaned, my heart beating faster as his fingers brushed my skin. I could feel my cheeks buzzing with warmth and the electricity of his touch.

"Your father trusts you. But he's definitely thinking about Billy's words. He's turning them over in his mind." He informed me. His golden eyes drifted to my lips.

"I didn't hear what he said…" I grumbled, suddenly frustrated again about Jessica's interruption. I made an effort to put it out of my mind.

"Most of it was a confirmation of what we thought he would say, Bella. Billy told Charlie to try to cut down the time I spend with you. He's genuinely concerned." Edward's voice was sad, and his lips turned down infinitesimally at the edges. And then his face abruptly relaxed.

"You don't seem too worried… surely my dad can't be considering it too much." I said under my breath, taking in Edward's expression and relaxing too.

"No, I'm not. But Bella, it's up to you how much time you spend with me, don't forget that." He said with a small smile, lips curving up slowly.

"Yeah… Jessica invited me out tomorrow, as you heard, so hopefully that will get them off my back."

"You're right. I'll tell you as soon as I hear anything else, I promise." He stroked my hair lightly once. Goosebumps rose all over my body. I held back a shiver. He had been up here all this time; I felt selfish for keeping him here.

"Are you ok up here, Edward? If you want to go…" I didn't finish, looking down.

"I'm here for you Bella, always. There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be."

He lifted my chin with a finger and surprised me with a lingering kiss, pressing his glass-smooth lips to mine. All my thoughts vanished and I put my hands on both sides of his face greedily.

We both jumped violently when we heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs. I immediately scrambled to the door to listen. I turned my head so quickly to Edward, my hair whipped into my face. He was staring at the door intently, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. His lips were parted and he was breathing rapidly. Then he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

It went quiet for a few moments. Then Edward's back stiffened.

"Jacob's here, he's taking Billy home. Charlie's thinking about coming in. I'd better leave just in case." He muttered quickly. He was suddenly in front of me. I looked up at him as he spoke again.

"I'm going to check on Alice and the others. Would you like me to stay tonight?" He whispered. The line between his eyebrows deepened.

"Yes," I mouthed, stretching on my tiptoes to kiss him. He pressed his lips to mine for a half second and then he was gone. I sighed, staring longingly at the window.

I heard a faint shuffling outside my door. I sat down on my bed, waiting. I looked out my open window again at the darkening sky. There were no stars, and there was no moon. I got up slowly, deciding to start the dinner to distract myself. Opening the door, I heard the bathroom door close.

After putting some lamb into the oven and setting potatoes on, I sat down at the kitchen table with my shabby compilation of Jane Austen works. I called Charlie in when dinner was done, and we ate in uncomfortable silence. Charlie seemed to be eating faster than normal, as if he couldn't wait to get out of the kitchen. I watched him discreetly as I ate, looking for any signs of him bringing up the dreaded subject I'd stressed over all evening. _Maybe he really had meant what he'd said to Billy_, I thought, trying to reassure myself.

Then he cleared his throat. "That was great, Bell. Thanks." He smiled.

"You're welcome, Dad." I waited for him say more – he clearly was not done talking.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked gruffly, looking uneasy and avoiding my eyes. I answered truthfully. I was pleased that I had the answer he wanted.

"I'm spending the afternoon with Jessica, we're going shopping." I put on a false smile, pretending to be excited about it. Charlie bought it.

"Oh, that's great Bells. Where are you going?" He relaxed a little, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I'm going to call Jess tomorrow to arrange that," I said.

"All right. It's good to see you're making plans." Charlie obviously left out the "with friends instead of Edward Cullen" part. He didn't need to say it. I cleared the table after that and started on the dishes. But Charlie stayed where he was.

"Jacob picked up Billy. He asked about you…" Charlie blurted.

I stopped scrubbing my plate, wondering how to reply. I settled for a simple acknowledgement of his words.

"Oh, right." I continued scrubbing.

Charlie probably wanted me to ask whether he'd told Jacob where I was.

"Oh well, I told him you were busy with homework upstairs." Charlie glanced at me quickly. Why would he say that? It was almost as if he knew I'd had company up there. I wondered if he knew I'd heard him outside my door. He seemed so nervous…

"Dad, are you ok?"

"Sure… It wouldn't be so bad to spend some time with Jacob too, Bells. He likes you."

There it was. It was only a matter of time. He was only being a dad; I wasn't surprised he would say that. But I wasn't sure how to answer. I settled for a nod and a small smile to show I'd listened. I wasn't going to make any promises.

I turned in early in the hope of being refreshed in the morning. I drifted to sleep in just a few minutes. In my dream, I was standing in a dark forest, stepping over the wet leaves absentmindedly and looking into the distance at a tiny dim light ahead. I squinted, curiosity gradually seeping into my mind. The darkness didn't faze me; I was completely at ease as I advanced towards the light. The sky above was black and cloudless. The full moon glowed down at me. The dull light ahead blinked, but did not get brighter. I walked a little faster, and all I could hear was the rustle of the leaves my feet crunched over. I felt like I was travelling through a dark tunnel. The trees were tall and their finger-like branches reached in every direction. I glanced down, and gasped to find that the skin on my hand was glowing, as if it was illuminated from the inside. I held it up to the light of the moon in awe. It did not sparkle, but simply continued to glow. My skin was whiter than usual; it was like looking at the moon again. I continued forwards to the light. I started to run towards it, and the light gradually brightened. I slowed down to examine it again. It was taking shape. It seemed like a blurred standing shadow of a person, except it was light instead of dark. I stepped slowly closer and closer, and the light only became brighter. And yet the light never hurt my eyes. And then the shape changed; it seemed to turn around to face me. I stopped walking and stared.

And then I saw him.

His skin was pale white, as white as mine, and his hair was black as night, tousled and shiny with two strands hanging across his forehead. His eyes were dark, and I could decipher no particular emotion in them. He was inhumanly beautiful. He looked no older than seventeen. He took one step towards me. And then he smiled, showing his perfect white teeth. I sighed. I took a step closer at the same time as he did. He was now less than a foot away from me. His hand reached out to touch my face. His hand was cold on my cheek. I stared into his eyes, and saw a flash of crimson. His overwhelming scent choked me, and I could not break from his hypnotic gaze. His hand slid down to my neck, but I couldn't feel my heart beat. My body tingled from head to toe, and my stomach was fluttering wildly, as if I was falling from a great height. I closed my eyes, and I felt ice on the other side of my neck to the one the man had his hand on. I breathed in. A sharp stabbing pain radiated through my neck and into my body. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from my throat. And then we were falling, falling into blackness…

I jolted awake violently, sweating and gasping for air. My head was spinning. My eyes were wild, and my heart was pumping hot blood through my veins furiously as I suddenly yanked my head from the pillow. I couldn't think, couldn't see. I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing and get my heart rate down. I took several deep breaths. My hair was making my neck so warm. I swept it over my shoulder. I continued to take deep breaths. I slowly lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. I glanced at my bedside clock after a couple of minutes. It was half past ten. I lay back in relief. And then it dawned on me. I was alone. Charlie would be long gone by now. Maybe Edward decided to stay away tonight, though I knew he had told me he would stay. I didn't want him to see me in this state anyway. As I made my bed, I saw a small note under my pillow. I pulled it out. I saw Edward's beautiful handwriting.

_ I will be back very soon. I am hunting with Alice close by, and I promise to see you before your day with Jessica. I love you. Edward. _

Adoration swirled in my stomach. I put the note in my desk drawer, keeping it safe.

I took a shower before breakfast, and then made my way downstairs. I checked the phone for any messages. There were none. Grabbing a bowl of cereal, I sat down and munched my food slowly, gazing out at the cloudy sky. The sun was completely obscured by clouds. This would have been a good thing if I were going to school today.

I smirked humourlessly as I ate. Once I was done I went to start washing up.

As I scrubbed my bowl, I had the sudden sense that I wasn't alone. I glanced around me, frowning. No one was there. I scrubbed faster. As I finished, I saw something shift in the corner of my eye. I jumped as I saw Edward at the table, sitting back in his chair, a half-smile on his face. His eyes were a light honey shade.

"Oh!" I gasped.  
"I'm sorry I scared you," Edward said, getting up slower than he usually did.

"I'm not scared of you." I said, smiling.

"You should be," He replied, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. I rested my head against his chest. He put his head on top of mine. We held each other for a few moments. "How are you feeling?" Edward asked as he lifted his head from mine and eased my head from his chest so I faced him. He searched my eyes.

"I'm fine, thanks," I looked away, not wanting to tell him about my nightmare. I feared my eyes gave me away.

"Is something the matter?" He asked sympathetically. Yes, my eyes had given me away. I involuntarily met his eyes and found myself telling the truth.

"I had a nightmare." I blurted.

"You didn't talk at all while you were sleeping. That's why I figured I wouldn't miss anything if I left so I wouldn't have to leave later on. I should have stayed with you…" Edward frowned deeply.

"I'm fine." I repeated, looking at his chest to avoid his eyes.

"I'm not sure that I believe that. But I understand if you don't want to talk about it. Oh how I wish I could hear your thoughts right now…" Edward sighed heavily.

"Be careful what you wish for," I muttered.

Edward looked fascinated. I pulled away slowly.

"I have to call Jessica." I didn't want to know how she would react if I failed to call. I also wanted to change the subject and distract Edward from any further questions.

Edward nodded and sat at the table again. He was now eyeing the book of Jane Austen works I had left on the table, still open and facing the table on the page I had stopped reading.

I dialled Jessica's number quickly and waited. She answered after the third ring.

"Bella, is that you?" She asked impatiently.

"Yeah. Um… So where do you want to meet?" I got straight to the point, not bothering with small talk.

"You took your time. Anyway, why don't you come over to mine? Or I can come to yours… it's up to you…"

"I'll come to yours. I should be there around two thirty."

"Sure. See you soon, Bella."

I said goodbye and hung up. Now that was done, I picked up my book and walked past Edward to go upstairs. I was worried he would start asking me questions the second I was free. I could feel his eyes on me as I passed. I couldn't tell for sure, seeing as it was only in the corner of my eye, but I thought I saw a tiny hidden hint of guilt in his eyes.

I got changed out of my tank top and holey sweats and got ready to go out. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail even though I didn't have to leave for hours. As I walked down the stairs, I could hear Edward talking quickly on his phone. I hovered on the stairs, wondering if it was Alice again. I knew it wasn't good to eavesdrop. But I listened in anyway; it wasn't as if Edward didn't do the same. But that wasn't the reason I stayed where I was.

"Yes. Tell me later." I heard Edward say. There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"Hmm… All right. We'll talk about this at the house." Then he sighed heavily. I went back upstairs to my room as quietly as I could, suddenly feeling guilt wash over me for not giving him privacy. I made my way to my door. Suddenly, coldness snaked around my waist. Frozen, my eyes widened in surprise as I felt Edward kiss the top of my head. I turned around in his arms to face him. He looked deep into my eyes.

"Bella, I have to go home. I need to talk with the others. But you won't be here alone – I can hear Jessica down the road. It looks like she's coming over anyway." He smiled his crooked smile, and I automatically grinned back. And then I heard Jessica's car pulling into the parking lot. I'd said I would go to her; why she would come over anyway I had no idea. She was beginning to really puzzle me.

"All right, so… I guess I'll see you later," I mumbled. I heard a car door shut outside, and met Edward's intense golden gaze.

"Stay safe. I'll be thinking of you." His velvet voice was fervent with sincerity, and very deep. He kissed my forehead softly, sighed, and then disappeared just as I heard the knock on the front door. My face felt hot. I was flustered by his serious words and his kiss. I hurried downstairs to the door. Jessica smiled at me as I greeted her and invited her inside.

"I'm sorry for just coming over like this – I know you said you would come to mine. But you'll never believe what I've got for us!" she squealed with excitement as she spoke, and this made me enthusiastic and curious at the same time. I couldn't help smiling in response to her unexpected joy.

"Wait for it…" Jess giggled as her hand slid into her back pocket and pulled out two rectangular pieces of card. She waved them in front of me as I looked at them.

"In my hand are two of five tickets to LA! And I'm inviting you!" Jess exclaimed.

"Seriously?" I wasn't expecting that. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, my mouth falling open. " I know! Isn't this awesome?! Ok, here's the deal. I'm bringing Mike, and since it was my dad who got me these, he's coming along too. Choose whoever you like to come along – that's if you want to go." Jess waited in expectation for my answer. She had chatted so fast I almost didn't catch it all.

If I were to go, I definitely wanted to bring Edward. Whether my dad would allow that was another matter. And what about the situation with Alice? Would Edward leave that all behind? We were still in the hallway as I thought about this. Then I realized I still hadn't given her an answer.

"I'd like to go, but I'll have to talk to my dad about it first. When are you going?" I asked.

"August 12th, for a week. Please get your dad to let you come. I'm already packing!" She laughed. But her face was pleading. I forced a laugh, shaking my head.

"Seeing as I was given these tickets, like, two minutes ago, I figured I'd save up instead of shopping today. I'm seriously going to need the money once we're away. Can we just hang out here instead?" she asked, doubtful that I would agree.

"Sure, Jess. And thanks for the tickets. I didn't think I'd be going away this summer." She finally handed me the two tickets she had brought for me. We moved out of the hall to my room. We sat on my bed.

"So, who do you think you'll bring along with us if you come?" Jess was eager for my answer. I was pretty sure she wouldn't be too disappointed; this was probably going to be awkward, but at the same time, a good thing. I hesitated before answering.

"Uh… probably going to ask Edward. Since you're bringing Mike…you know…" I waited for the awkwardness, but she surprised me.

"Great! This is going to be so much fun, Bella! Trust me." She looked away then, still grinning. It seemed forced somewhat.

"How are things with you two… you and Mike, I mean?" I asked in order to fill a potential embarrassing silence. I hoped she really was over Edward. If I was to go away on holiday with her, I wanted to be safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't resent me the whole time.

"After I talked to you, I called Mike and asked him straight out what was wrong with him. Turns out he was "feeling ill". I didn't buy it. But you know what, I just thought: Hell, just forget about it and move on. I figured inviting him to this would make him sort himself out. I still like him…" Jess went on. She spoke slowly, and her voice was quite sad. I felt for her.

"I hope it works out for you Jess." I said sincerely.

"Thanks. God, you're so lucky having the place to yourself - both my parents have the day off today." She rolled her eyes.

Jess stayed with me until three, and then I started to clean up the house before Charlie came home from work. I wasn't occupied for long; the place was already fairly tidy. The two tickets Jess had given me were now in my desk drawer, out of sight from a prying Charlie. I would talk to him when the time was right.

Edward must have known what Jess was going to do. But he had stayed quiet about it. Was that his way of saying he wasn't going to come on the holiday? Thinking about it, he was probably just letting me enjoy the surprise. There was nobody else but him that I would want to take with me. It wasn't as if Charlie had a particular problem with Edward. He just thought – mainly because of Billy – that I spent too much time with him.

Charlie went to bed early that night, and I lay back on the couch in front of the baseball game he had left on, staring at the screen without seeing it. It was pitch black outside, a few twinkling stars sprinkled across the dark sky. After about half an hour, my eyes became sore and heavy. My lids closed over my eyes.

_Ring! Ring!_

I jolted to a sitting position, listening for confirmation of what I thought I'd heard.

_Ring! Ring!_

I jumped up and rushed to grab the phone before it woke up Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" came Edward's quiet voice from the other end. Suddenly I felt a rush of blood to my head, and I swayed slightly. I held the counter for support.

"Edward! What is it? Has something happened?" I said quickly, sudden panic washing over me, replacing the shock of the head rush.

"Bella, I need to talk to you." His voice was low.

"Ok," I said, listening intently.

"The others and I have been taking care of Alice. She's all right, but she's getting headaches from trying to retrieve her visions. She wants to see you. Do you think you could ask your father if she can visit you tomorrow? You don't have to ask him now, though." Edward said calmly. His soft voice soothed me.

"Of course. I don't think my dad would mind. He's asleep upstairs." I answered. I wanted to see Alice; I missed her and the others.

"That's good. I'll be with you within half an hour. I'll see you soon, Bella. I love you."

"I love you, Edward. Bye," I knew it was silly, but I didn't want to end the call. I wanted to keep on talking to him. The line went dead.

Feeling a little hungry, I took an apple and went to the living room to switch off the TV before heading upstairs. My room was freezing. Icy wind was breezing in from my window. But I left it open for Edward. I got changed into my pyjamas and snuggled under my blanket with my old Jane Austen compilation to keep warm. I took a bite of my apple, trying not to hear Charlie's snores from his room as I attempted to concentrate on my book. My window shuddered with the harsh wind. Then I heard tiny taps of rain dripping against the glass. I sighed. I continued to read, but the words meant nothing; my brain couldn't absorb any of it. I read the passage over again. Eventually, I chucked the book onto the floor, disgruntled. As I finished my apple, I listened to the trees rustling outside. It sounded ominous in some way. The rain spattered harder against the glass. I threw off my blanket and went up to the window. The night glared back at me.

I switched off my light and lay back down on my bed, dragging my crumpled blanket over me again. I closed my eyes against the darkness. But I didn't fall asleep. I don't know how long I lay there before I felt a sudden cold breeze sweep over my face. My eyes fluttered, but I closed them again. My ponytail was beginning to hurt my head so I reached up and tugged at the hair band, eyes still closed. I put it on my bedside table and let my hair fan out across the pillow. I just couldn't get back the tiredness I'd felt before Edward's phone call. And then I felt a movement beside me slightly shake the bed. My eyes snapped open. My heart leaped. There was Edward, lying beside me on the top of the covers, smiling softly at me.

"Hello," Edward murmured as he carefully swept a strand of hair from my face.

"Hi," I whispered, heat spreading over my cheekbones.

"How are you?" He asked politely.

"I'm good, and you?" I smiled. I was more than good, with him lying right beside me.

"Never better," he chuckled.

"How are your family?" I asked.

"Carlisle and Esme are fine; they went hunting tonight actually. Emmett and Rosalie were out together all day, so I didn't see them. Jasper was with Alice, and I stayed with them." He said calmly. I nodded.

"Did you have a nice afternoon? I heard Jessica thinking about holiday plans before I left. I didn't listen any longer." He half-smiled, stroking my hair; I found it hard to concentrate properly on what he was saying. It took me longer than normal to answer as my heart fluttered unrelentingly in my chest.

"Yeah, it was all right. I thought you'd heard that Jess was going to give me two tickets to LA…" I smiled weakly. He must have been very bored with hearing her thoughts if he'd tuned out so quickly.

"Ah, yes. She had five tickets, right?" He smirked.

"Yep. I told her I'd have to talk to my dad about it."

I waited for him to ask who I would bring with me. But he asked a different question, changing the subject.

"What were you dreaming of last night?" he fired off. His eyes roamed my face, and they appeared lit with curiosity in the darkness.

"Just me walking in a forest. Nothing particularly exciting." I mumbled in an effort to make him lose interest. He only became more curious, leaning in closer to me so that his delicious scent swept over me. "Tell me," he purred. His eyes burned, and I knew he was turning on his irresistible seductive gaze. I tried hard to keep hold of my thoughts while staring back into his eyes. It was so much of an effort my head started to spin. Suddenly, I involuntarily gasped as my lungs refused to be deprived of air any longer. I ripped my gaze from his, taking a few deep breaths. Edward leaned away instantly, his eyes pained. He stared straight ahead, frowning deeply. I could see even in the darkness that he was torturing himself inside.

"I'm sorry. The frustration I feel, not being able to hear you… it never ceases. I'm sorry." His voice was rough, and he turned his head towards me as he said the last words. But he avoided my eyes.

"Don't apologize, it's ok. You just dazzled me again, that's all." I said softly, shrugging.

I put my hand against his cold cheek, smiling reassuringly at him. He finally glanced up at me. Our eyes locked. He raised his hand to hold mine to his face. The coolness against my skin felt nice. His thumb stroked my hand slowly and very softly, barely touching my skin.

"I should leave. I'm keeping you awake." He said quietly, more to himself than to me.

He effortlessly lifted his hand from my face and rested it on my blanket. There was no point trying to keep my hand where it was; he was too strong.

"Don't go!" I whispered loudly.

"Hey, I said I _should_ go, not that I _am_ going. I'm much too selfish to leave." He whispered back, chuckling quietly as he moved close to me again. He lay facing me.

I took his hand and held it to my heart. It thumped furiously. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and a tingle flashed down my spine as I shivered. Edward closed his eyes and his perfect lips twitched into a small serene smile.

"Your heart is racing," he said softly.

"I can't help it," I replied in a whisper, gazing at him.

"It's beating so fast… it's wonderful. It's like the wings of a hummingbird. Beautiful. More than beautiful…" he said slowly, his voice like honey. And then Edward started humming my lullaby. I closed my eyes to the glorious sound as I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Sunlight was pouring through my window when I woke, and I glanced around my room to find Edward sitting back in my rocking chair, smiling his crooked smile. I sat up, returning his smile. I threw off my blanket that was tucked around me and hurried to his side, pausing shyly before Edward took my hand and pulled me onto his lap.

"Good morning. You were shivering during the night, so I put the blanket around you and sat here so you would warm up." He said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Thanks." I hesitantly stroked his tousled bronze hair. It was softer than the finest silk in the world.

"Your father's in the kitchen. He's making you breakfast." Edward informed me.

"All right. Edward…" I didn't finish, thinking about my question.

"Bella?" He prompted, smiling kindly.

"I was just thinking that… if I were to go on this holiday with Jess, would you like to come with me?" I asked nervously. I honestly didn't know what he would say.

"Would you like that?" He smiled wider, looking flattered and surprised at my invitation.

"Edward, there's no one but you that I would want to bring with me. It's only for a week. But I still haven't spoken to my dad about this yet." I bit my lip. I suppose I could bring up the subject casually over breakfast, so there would be less chance of a negative reaction. But I really couldn't predict the outcome. It could go only one of two ways.

"Bella, I would love to come with you. When would we be going?" He was kissing the hollow of my throat softly; it tickled and a giggle slipped through my lips.

"August 12th." I managed to reply.

It was still June, so that knowledge kept me reassured as I made my way downstairs to the kitchen while Edward went home to get Alice. Charlie was frying some eggs when he saw me enter.

"Morning, Bells." Charlie smiled.

"Morning Dad." I greeted him.

"Dad, I'll take care of the food. You sit down." I suggested, looking at the eggs that were in danger of overcooking.

"I've got it, Bella. You take care of me too much." Charlie insisted, frowning at the pan and shaking the eggs about a little. So instead I got a couple of plates out the cupboard and set the table. I put some toast on, and when it was done we were soon eating at the table quietly. I decided that now was the time to talk about the trip to LA and Alice's visit today.

"Dad…" I began, hesitating.

"Hmm?" said Charlie, mouth full of food.

"Jess came over yesterday and we stayed here instead of going out. It turns out she has five tickets to LA and… she's given me two of them. So… I was just wondering if it would be ok with you if I went along too." I was staring down at my plate as I said this, unsure what he would say. He stopped munching for a fraction of a second. Then he raised his eyebrows.

"Really? You want to go to LA?" He asked sceptically. There was a smile playing on the edges of his lips.

"Well, only if that's all right with you, Dad." I smiled.

"Who else is going?" He asked in a father-like tone.

"Jessica's father is coming, and she's bringing Mike Newton from school." I answered, glancing up at him as I took another bite of my toast. Charlie nodded slowly. He appeared to be thinking about something hard as he did this. He took a bite of his food, still nodding. Then he spoke again.

"And uh, who are you planning to bring with you?" He asked, and he seemed somewhat worried that I may be thinking of bringing him.

"I'm going to decide nearer the time. Just in case it gets cancelled or something." I lied before realizing what I was saying. Why did I just say that? I bit my lip. It looked like Charlie was going to buy it.

"But you must have thought about who you might ask. Why don't you ask Jacob? I'm sure he'd like to go. I think it would be good to spend some time together."

I should have known he was going to say that, and I wished I'd just told him the truth. But I didn't have time to say anything more about it; it was time for him to set off for work.

"Got to run, Bella. See you later." He started giving me a wave, but I spoke up.

"Wait, Dad. Can Alice come over today? I haven't seen her for a while." I asked quickly.

"Alice Cullen? Why, of course. Tell her to stay for dinner." And with that he started walking away to the front door. I sighed, piling the dishes in the sink and turning on the taps. As the water poured into the sink I thought of Alice. I couldn't wait to see her. I just hoped she didn't look anything like the way she had when I saw her that night in Edward's room. The memory itself made me shudder. I swirled the brush around the dish slowly, thinking.

"Knock, knock," came Alice's trilling voice from the kitchen doorway.

"Alice! You're here!" I spun around, dropping the scrubbing brush and racing over to her as quickly as my legs would allow, ignoring my walking cast. I threw my arms around her. As I grinned over her shoulder, Edward winked at me, giving me his crooked smile. My heart skipped a beat, and my cheeks started burning. I closed my eyes, so happy.

"I missed you Bella honey. How are you?" She asked in her bell voice, pulling back to look at me.

"I'm fine thank you. But what about you? Tell me." I asked her, still grinning. Edward chuckled quietly behind us at my happiness.

"Come on, let's sit down in the living room." Alice said, taking my hand and pulling me gently to the couch. Edward followed. I sat between Edward and Alice, and waited for her to begin.

"I still haven't got my visions back, Bella." She said seriously. That was when the sadness entered her topaz eyes. My heart sank. I knew she was going to say that, but I had hoped I was wrong. I looked down from her eyes; I wanted the happiness to return. Edward's hand rested on mine, and he squeezed it gently.

"I told her, Alice. I couldn't lie to her. It hurt too much." Edward murmured.

"I understand. You were bound to find out sooner or later, Bella." Alice said to me now, nodding as she looked down.

"So what happens now?" I hesitantly asked the both of them.

"I'm scared, Bella. This has never happened before… I don't know what to do. It feels like a piece of me has gone. I know that sounds stupid, but I don't know how else to describe it. And you know what really gets me? The fact that nothing has even triggered it!" She laughed humourlessly. A deep crease set between her thin eyebrows.

"If it's gone on this long, maybe… maybe something is blocking your visions, something that hasn't been caused by us. I don't know…" I mumbled, thinking hard. Edward shifted beside me. As I looked at him his eyes were lit, and he was concentrating very hard as he looked into my eyes.

"Edward?" I asked as I turned my body around to him. He was frowning now. He smiled as he squeezed my hand again.

"You're right, Bella. I think you're onto something. We're going to get Alice's visions back. We have to. Something is blocking her sight, and we have to find out what it is, before…" he didn't finish, his lips suddenly turning into a hard line.

"You think we can fix this? You'll help me?" Alice asked in a small voice.

I turned to her again. "Of course we will, Alice. We're here for you, always. Aren't we Edward?" I looked at him. He swept my hair behind my ear, nodding.

"We will, Alice. Together we will sort this." He said in a deep voice.

Alice smiled at us gratefully, and her teeth gleamed. But the sadness was still present in her eyes. I cuddled up to her, closing my eyes. She wrapped a cool arm around me.

That was when I heard a car pull into the driveway outside. Before I could sit up, Edward answered my unspoken question.

"Jacob. He's coming to see you, Bella." He said calmly. As I pulled away from Alice and looked at him, his mouth was moving so quickly that I couldn't read his lips let alone hear what he was saying. Alice was looking straight into his eyes, taking it in.  
Then the doorbell rang.

"Stay here, both of you." I insisted. I knew Edward didn't like Jacob, but I didn't want Edward or his sister to go yet.

I hurried to the door. Opening it slowly, I smiled as I saw Jacob smiling shyly at me, his long hair tied back in a neat ponytail.

"Hi, Bella." He greeted me in a friendly way, grinning.

"Hey Jacob. What brings you here?" I smiled; it was impossible not to. He seemed so pleased to see me. He had grown a few inches taller since the last time I'd seen him. It seemed almost impossible for him to grow so tall in such a small space of time.

"I just wanted to drop by and see how you are. Thought we could hang out. I couldn't get through to you on the phone…so, uh… I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." He explained nervously. He seemed really shy. I hadn't even invited him inside, and that was the least I could do.

"No, not at all. Come on in. Alice and Edward are here, that's all. Do you want something to drink or anything?" I offered as I walked towards the kitchen. As I passed through the living room to the kitchen I saw Edward and Alice looking warily at me. At least they hadn't run off. I didn't really think they would, but it was good to know they hadn't just the same. I suddenly realized that Jacob hadn't followed me as I expected.

"Jacob?" I shouted through to the hall, reaching for a couple of glasses from the cupboard.

"Alice and Edward… they're actually here? Oh…" I heard Jacob murmur.

"What is it, Jacob?" I called to him as I poured some coke into the two glasses.

Why wasn't he coming in? Was he scared? Like I should have been the moment I met the Cullens? I felt instantly sorry for him and put the glasses down on the table before heading back to him in the hall.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" I asked, worried as he just stood there stiffly, his face an expression of pure anxiety. He did indeed look afraid. He resembled a little boy who was afraid to walk through the school gates and leave his parents for the first time.

"I can't go in there. Not with them there. I can't." He voice shook slightly. His broad lips tightened into a stressed hard line.

"Why? They won't hurt us. Trust me. It's me, Bella, so clumsy I'm almost disabled and I'm still walking aren't I?" I laughed a little, trying to reassure him and calm him down.

"Jacob raised his eyebrows, glancing down at my walking cast and then back up at me. Then he smirked, holding back a laugh. I sighed in relief, thinking I'd finally persuaded him to come in.

"I know, I know, but the cast is coming off tomorrow. But please, come through. I'll have to drag you along if you won't. They won't bite." The pun wasn't intended, but Jacob smiled anyway.

"Please," I begged. I pulled a face to make him smile. It worked.

"All right. But I don't think I'll be chatting to them though."

"Come on!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him through to the kitchen. I didn't look at Edward and Alice. From the corner of my eye I could see that they were talking quietly.

I sat down at the table and Jacob sat in the other available seat. He took a few big gulps of coke.

"Thanks." He smiled sheepishly when he finished the glass.

"There's plenty more in the fridge." I told him as I raised my eyebrows at the speed he finished his drink.

"So have you got any plans for summer?" Jacob asked quickly. I got the feeling he was asking me just to fill the silence rather than having actual interest.

"I've been invited on a holiday with a friend from school. Not sure if I'm going yet, but apart from that, no plans. You?"

"No plans. I… I know that my dad came round the other day. I tried to get him to stay home but he insisted on coming. I had to come pick him up afterwards. I didn't want to disturb you. You were busy so…" He trailed off. There was an awkward moment as I remembered hearing Billy and Charlie's conversation in the living room.

"Do you think he will ever accept me being with Edward, Jacob?" I asked, looking him full in the face. I already knew my answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.

"Bella… I don't think he will. I wish he would let it go. I can see that it's annoying you." He gestured to me as he spoke. He looked anxious again, his dark eyes glancing around the kitchen.

"I'm going to check on Edward and Alice. Help yourself to anything you like. I'll be just next door." I got up and headed through to the living room.

"Hey…" I said as I sat next to Edward this time, perching on the edge of the couch.

"Hello," they said simultaneously, smiling at me as I joined them. Edward spoke first.

"Jacob's thoughts are beginning to irritate me. I might have to leave." He whispered, his eyes narrowing. He was looking straight ahead, listening. Alice was staring at him as if she was trying to tell him a silent message.

"Alice, do you want to go or stay? I don't want to keep you here if you want to leave." I said slowly, even though I didn't want either of them to leave at all. I never wanted them to leave, if I was being honest.

Then a chair scraped back loudly across the kitchen floor. In walked Jacob, taking a few quick steps into the room before his eyes drifted to Alice and he abruptly stopped. His eyes widened. They slowly got wider and wider. My mouth fell open as it got to the point where they looked like they were going to burst out of his sockets.

"J-Jacob…" I stammered in fear. My eyes darted between him and Alice. Jacob blanched as he continued to stare into Alice's eyes. And then he suddenly let out a bloodcurdling cry of pain and crumpled to the floor.


	3. Revealed

Everything went silent as time stood still. I failed to believe what my eyes were telling me. Jacob was crumpled in on himself, clutching his head as Alice stood slowly, horror spreading all over her beautiful face. Edward was standing between Jacob and I in the blink of an eye, arms out protectively in front of me. I tried to look around Edward but his back was blocking my view.

"What--" I cried but Edward cut me off.

"Shh!" he shouted over his shoulder. Just a glimpse of his face told me he was so horrified he looked like he was on the verge of insanity. I backed towards the wall, shaking with fear. What was going on? What was happening to Jacob and Alice? My mind screamed.

"Arrgh!" Jacob shouted as he curled even further in on himself in agony. He was still clutching his head, rocking backwards and forwards.

"Jacob!" I screamed, tears spilling out of my eyes and streaming down my face. Jacob groaned over and over again in pain. And then Alice fell to her knees, grabbing her head with both hands and closing her eyes.

"Alice!" I tried to scream, but my mouth made no sound. Edward spun around to look down at Alice. My vision started to blur at the edges, and nausea rolled in my stomach as it knotted. As my breathing became jagged and my heart skipped beats, I clutched my chest. I tried to take deep breaths. I managed to suck in one breath before grabbing the wall behind me for support. The room appeared to be shaking in front of me as my eyes began to lose focus.

Edward leapt to my side and threw his arms around me as I wept against his chest. He rubbed my back quickly but gently in an effort to calm me.

"It's all right, Bella, it's going to be all right…" he murmured over and over again into my hair.

"Can't we _do_ something?" I pulled back, thrusting my arm in Jacob's direction.

"Both Alice and Jacob's minds are incoherent right now. Stay calm, s-stay calm. It will all be over soon." His voice throbbed with worry, eyes tortured, face crumpled with anguish. I gasped at the sight of his perfect face contorted into such torment.

"How can you know that?" I sobbed as I fell back against his hard chest, unable to look at his face any longer.

"I don't." Edward's voice was pained and ashamed. I kept my eyes tightly shut, willing it to end. Long minutes passed as I tried to wish away everything that was happening.

And then, when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, there was silence.

"Is it over?"

"It's over," Edward whispered into my hair.

He slowly unwrapped his arms from around me and held on to one of my shaking hands. All was quiet and I lifted my eyes to Jacob. He was still, breathing fast, head still in his hands. Then Edward stiffened, and I looked up at him to see shocked relief spreading over his face. In the same second he was sitting in front of Alice's frozen figure. Her head gradually rose from her tiny hands and she looked straight ahead, dazed. She stared unseeingly across the room.

I ran to Jacob while Edward shook Alice's shoulders, trying to bring her out of her inert state. I dropped to my knees beside Jacob. I was afraid to touch him.

"Jacob?" I whispered, frowning, my heart beating fast again. He didn't move. After several long seconds, he started to raise his head, arms dropping to the floor. His eyes were closed and his face was smooth, expressionless. Before I could speak again, he opened his eyes and looked at me with narrowed eyes. His voice was quiet and flat as he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"What happened to me?" He asked, more to himself than to me, glancing behind me at Alice. His eyes suddenly tightened further before he began staring at the floor. I cleared my throat before speaking, trying to make my voice stronger. Did he honestly not know what had just happened to him?

"Jacob, why were you screaming? What was causing you pain?" My voice shook as I spoke, and I could feel my frown deepening in my face. He didn't answer. It was as if I wasn't there. My heart beat even faster.

"Can't you remember?" I whispered incredulously. I didn't believe he would forget, not for one second. I waited for my answer, staring at his face.

He finally looked straight at me and answered my question, a scowl pulling on his face.

But his voice was unexpectedly gentle.

"It felt like my head was burning, as if it was going to explode. I couldn't think. All I could feel was fire, growing bigger and bigger until I couldn't stand. I became terrified that it wasn't going to stop. I couldn't see where I was. And then it was gone… just like that. And then all I could feel was coldness…" His eyes suddenly flickered up towards Alice. I turned my head round to look at her. The light was slowly returning to her topaz eyes.

"Alice?" I whispered. I glanced at Edward kneeling next to her and he was gazing straight back at me. His lips twitched up into a tiny smile.

"My visions… they've come back. I can see…" Alice slowly whispered in shock. Her eyes widened slightly.

I blinked, taking it in. It was obvious that something had happened with her and Jacob just now. It was like both their emotions were running through the room, turning the atmosphere tense and palpable. It felt like all the happiness from Jacob had been taken from him in those terrifying moments just a few minutes ago. Alice hadn't had her visions for days and days, and now they had returned, seemingly because of… Jacob. Thoughts swirled around my head. I was so caught up in them that I forgot my surroundings for a moment. It was only when I heard someone impatiently shout my name that I looked up. Jacob's long body towered over me, intimidating.

"Bella, I have to go home. I can't stay any longer… I'll see you around." Jacob's husky voice was rough. His face was a hard mask. And then it abruptly softened. He spoke again as I stared back in confusion, my mind catching up with what I was seeing.

"I'm fine now. Trust me. I've got to get out of here. But I'll call you, within the next few days. I promise." He nodded, and then he turned and walked out the room. The front door shut a few seconds later. I stayed sitting on the floor, staring at the doorway he'd just walked through. I blinked. Suddenly questions burst into my head, swarming inside my head like flies. What had just happened? Was Alice really causing Jacob the agony that had him crumpled on the floor? And then a question about Alice entered my head, a question that hadn't occurred to me since I was at the Cullen mansion recently. Where had she gone when she'd first lost her visions? And then another thought stopped me in my tracks. Could Jacob possibly be what was blocking Alice's visions all that time?

Before I could think this through, I was suddenly off the floor and cradled against Edward's chest. Alice was standing right beside him, looking at me with worry in her eyes. I didn't have time for worrying; I needed answers. I tried to sort all my questions in order of priority in my head. I would begin when we were up in my room.

"I will explain everything upstairs." Alice's voice was bell-like and soft, responding to my decision that she had just seen. Edward cuddled me closer into his cold, hard chest as we flew up the stairs. It took my breath away and we were in my room before I could blink.

Alice sat down in the middle of my bed, legs crossed. I sat in front of her and Edward was beside me in a flash. I had to clear my throat before speaking.

"I need to know what happened down there, Alice. Everything that happened." My voice broke twice, my heart beating a little faster as I remembered.

"Bella… I can't see Jacob in any of my visions. As soon as he fell to the floor my sight returned to me, and it came so fast that I couldn't think and I didn't even realize I dropped to the floor… it was overwhelming." Alice said quietly. She shook her head slowly, closing her eyes for a moment before she spoke again.

"It was as if someone was pouring all my visions into my head in that moment. And this has never happened before. Never. But Bella, if you asked me why Jacob was in so much pain, I wouldn't be able to answer you. I can't see him. If I had to guess… I would say that he was going through some sort of transformation. Maybe he's been going through this ever since I lost my sight. Perhaps he was supposed to be in my visions but wasn't because… he doesn't know what he's transforming into." Alice's eyes lost focus as her mind flitted over possible explanations. She didn't speak for a long time, lost to her thoughts. In the corner of my eye I saw Edward concentrating on Alice's face, picking thoughts out her head as she sat, dazed. Then she closed her eyes. Edward took my hand and rubbed soothing circles into it with his thumb. His eyes stayed focussed on Alice.

Alice opened her eyes and spoke again, eyes flicking between Edward and I.

"So my conclusion to this is that Jacob had the key to my sight all along. But my only explanation for what was happening to him is that he was changing, transforming. Only time will tell what he could become in the future. Every time I even look for him everything in my mind goes dark and another vision takes the place of what I was searching for." Alice's voice quieted to a whisper and a sad smile twitched onto her face. I nodded slowly as I absorbed everything she said, trying to understand. Jacob had said that his head had felt like it was going to explode… only for the burning to disappear as quickly as it had come. But even he couldn't say why it had happened. Alice's words flashed in my mind, "_he doesn't know what he's transforming into_…"

Both Jacob's and Alice's minds were incoherent to Edward at the time, so even he couldn't know what was really happening to Jacob. But the idea that Jacob was transforming sounded like it could well be true. He _was_ growing abnormally fast, and he was so tall now that he could be mistaken for an adult. If anyone's head felt like it was burning and about to explode they wouldn't be able to think coherently would they? So that explained somewhat about what had happened to him and why Edward couldn't work out exactly what Jacob was thinking. In Alice's case, she'd been overwhelmed by visions, so her thoughts couldn't have been too clear either. Once again I tried to sift through my questions for Alice. Now she was looking at me, patiently waiting for me to speak. Her topaz eyes looked focussed again, her face calm.

Edward answered one of my unspoken questions before I could speak, meeting my gaze intently. I got the feeling he'd been looking at me for a while.

"Jacob ran away because he was afraid. Once his pain had gone, he was thinking clearly again. He didn't want to seem weak by admitting his fear to you, Bella. He was scared of Alice in particular. Hardly surprising, considering what happened." His mouth pulled up into a half-smile. He didn't look like he had any pity. I saw Alice glance at him in the corner of my eye but before I could properly register her expression, her face was neutral.

Frowning in curiosity, I nodded again in response to Edward's words. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly, making my frown disappear. I sighed. But I still had another question for Alice.

"Alice, where did you go when you first lost your visions? And how come Jasper--"

But Alice answered before I could finish, laughing.

"Oh Bella, were you still wondering about that? I just went up to Denali for a bit. I needed to think things through; otherwise I would have gone crazy. I needed to get away from everything in the hope of recovering my sight, Obviously that part didn't work out too well, but at least I managed to sort things out in my head. Actually, Edward, that reminds me. Tanya asked me to tell you 'hi'". Alice shook her head, raising her eyebrows. My eyes flickered to Edward, who was rolling his eyes. Then Alice started answering my second question, about Jasper.

"I couldn't be around the family, not even Jasper. He understood. I spent most of my time alone, sitting outside where nothing could disturb me. Jasper knew that as soon as I felt ready, I would come home, not before. Alice smiled a tiny smile.

"I understand. Thanks for explaining everything." I said truthfully, smiling a small smile back. Alice smiled wider in response before disappearing.  
She reappeared in my rocking chair in the blink of an eye.

"Alice!" I moaned. But I giggled anyway; Alice was sticking out her tongue playfully.

"I'm right here, Bella. I wouldn't go without saying goodbye first, promise."

"Okay--" I started to say, but Edward's arms snaked around my waist and pulled me down so that I was lying next to him. We turned to face each other at the same time. Edward reached up and touched the tip of my nose with his index finger, his perfect full lips curving into a slow smile. I smiled back, looking up into his liquid gold eyes. I felt myself getting sucked into his hypnotic gaze and there was no way that I could look away now. Not unless Edward looked away first. It was an impossibility. I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster in my chest as we stared into each other's eyes. Edward's eyes widened slightly and his pupils dilated. I stared into their bottomless depths.

"Breathe, Bella," Edward finally whispered as he took a deep breath. I hadn't even noticed that he'd stopped breathing too. I took in a deep breath too, blinking hard; my eyes were burning. I turned to sit up, shaking my head. Alice was silently giggling, her hand covering her mouth.

"Edward, stop hypnotizing Bella. Bella, stop hypnotizing Edward."

"Excuse me, Alice, I wasn't doing anything of the sort," Edward retorted seriously, rumpling his bronze hair with his long white fingers. But there was a playful edge to his velvet voice. Did he have any idea how attractive his voice was just then?

Alice and I simultaneously raised our eyebrows at each other at Edward's words. He shook his head before putting his hands behind his head and lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"I'll be back in a minute, stay here both of you." I said, laughing quietly as I shuffled to my feet and grabbed my bag of toiletries on my way to the door.

I looked in the bathroom mirror as I washed my hands. My face was flushed, spots of red on my cheeks. I quickly washed my face, but I ended up splashing water on my jeans. I used some lip balm after drying my face and scrubbing my jeans with a towel. I combed through my hair with my fingers.

I hurried back to my room, closing the door behind me. Edward and Alice hadn't moved from their positions. Alice started rocking back and forth as I sat down beside Edward. His eyes were now closed. He looked so peaceful. The opposite of Jacob's expression as he collapsed to the floor…

"Alice, what do you see?" I asked, suddenly curious. Her eyes lit up as she grinned.

"You're coming to visit us at the house tomorrow," she said, sounding positive. "And… I can't see what's happening tonight. But Jacob's planning to call sometime soon right?" She asked uncertainly, frowning.

"Yeah, but he said he would call in the next few days though." I sighed, remembering once again the way his face had changed so abruptly from the hard mask to the soft expression as he made his promise. I distracted my mind by looking forward to my visit to the Cullen's that Alice had foreseen.

"Well, I can't see what's happening tonight yet. I guess he's probably deciding whether to call tonight or not. I wish he'd make up his mind already." Alice muttered. She ruffled her spiky black hair, concentrating on something hard. Her hair was shiny in the light of the window. I glanced at Edward to see his eyes open and staring at Alice. His forehead puckered for a few moments before it smoothed out again. He obviously felt my eyes on him because his eyes slid to me. I wondered what Alice was thinking that made him frown. I looked away quickly so he wouldn't see the speculation on my face.

My stomach suddenly growled, to my embarrassment.

I made my way downstairs to make some lunch while Edward and Alice followed, however they were both in the kitchen before I arrived. Edward was sitting in the shabby chair at the table while Alice stood looking out the back windows of the kitchen, humming a tune I didn't know under her breath. I made a sandwich and sat down at the table opposite Edward. He watched me as I took a bite, eyes following my every move. I looked at the table, feeling self-conscious. I could feel the heat spreading over my cheeks as I ate, and I couldn't help my lips curving up at my blush.

"Why are you blushing?" Edward chuckled, smiling at me. Of course he would notice. Nothing got past him. Alice spun, looking at me now, too. She smiled.

"What do you think? Do _you_ have spectators when _you're _eating?" I laughed, looking down again.

"I find everything you do fascinating, but try as I might, I really can't understand the appeal of your meal." Edward explained, his tone turning thoughtful as he finished his sentence.

"I second that." Alice agreed.

"Well, I'm sure your diet is much tastier than mine, but I can't survive on yours, can I?" I joked.

"Yet," Alice muttered so quietly that I could barely hear her. Edward glared at her.

Alice obviously saw in her visions that I would become immortal one day, and this knowledge made me pleased and scared at the same time. Pleased for the obvious reason - to spend eternity with my love, and scared because Edward was so indomitably and irrevocably against it. I continued to think about this until I finished my sandwich.

Alice danced over to the radio and tuned it to a station before turning it up and wiggling her tiny waist to the music. I smiled, turning to look. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she moved her arms gracefully over her head and moved to the song. I heard Edward laughing happily behind me. Alice spun and laughed, throwing her head back, enjoying herself. I laughed with her. Hearing me, she suddenly rushed to my side and grabbed my hand, trying to drag me up.

"Come on, Bella! Dance with me," she giggled, pleading.

"No, no Alice, I really can't dance! I can't," I begged trying to take my hand away gently.

"Please, pretty please! It'll be fun!" Alice persisted, pulling a little harder.

"No…" I said weakly, knowing I was going to lose.

"I insist. Just dance! You can't be worse than me, Bella. Trust me," She smiled, pulling me until I unwillingly stood. There was no point arguing with her right now.

Alice dragged me to the middle of the kitchen and spun me in a circle. I spun unwillingly, blushing deeply. I could feel Edward's eyes on me. Then Alice took both my hands and waved our arms to the song, beaming. I couldn't help smiling back.

And then she let me go, still dancing. I turned to hurry back to my seat. But Alice was too quick; she took my hand and held it firmly, forcing me to move back to the middle of the kitchen.

"Just dance… relax. Just let your body move to the song. Don't think," Alice whispered, moving my arms up a little before letting me go again. I wanted so badly to run back again, but Alice would never let me go back. I closed my eyes and started moving my arms in similar fashion to the way Alice was moving hers. My heart was thumping.

"Yes, Bella! You're doing it. Now move your hips. Use the beats to the song as a guideline." Alice encouraged, smiling widely and demonstrating as she spun in another circle. The best dancers in the world would give anything to dance like Alice. I tried unsuccessfully to copy her, opening my eyes halfway, my face so red I must have looked like a tomato. Alice nodded, grinning at me.

She wiggled and lowered herself toward the floor before dancing her way back up again.

"Alice…" I moaned, my face burning.  
"No, don't moan Bella. Come on, you're doing so well!"

Sighing, I tried to move my waist like her. I was sure I was doing it badly. I could feel it in how stiff my moves were. I tried very hard to forget I had an audience. Edward was probably laughing out loud inside. I didn't dare look at him.

"Now, put it all together, and you're dancing. But you don't have to copy me, just do you own thing if you like. Whatever you prefer." Alice said.

She took my hand again and spun me around before letting me go again. I closed my eyes again, moving my hips and arms to the beat. I started moving my feet, and felt my head tilt back a bit and my hair falling away from my face. My thoughts wandered to the sound of the music and the beat. I kept moving, trying very hard not to think, but it had the opposite effect in the process. All I could see was Edward's face in my mind, watching me. Laughing. But despite this, I heard no sound from him whatsoever as I danced with Alice. He could have left and I wouldn't have heard. But I knew he was there. I could feel his presence and his gaze. That was what raised goose bumps on my arms. But was that the only reason? The music _was_ good; I had to admit. I knew Alice had good taste, but I couldn't help feeling that I was actually starting to enjoy myself.

The song blended into the next, leaving me no gap for me to escape. But I found that I didn't want to escape now as I let myself get lost in the music. My eyes opened slowly to see Alice reaching for my arms again, still dancing and smiling. Her smile was proud now.

"You're doing awesome," Alice mouthed to me. I half-smiled, wanting to reject her compliment but thinking better of it. She waved my arms for a moment before letting me go. Alice shook her head to the song and started jumping up and down.

"Jump!" Alice shouted happily. I shut my eyes and jumped with her. I shook my head like she was. I could feel my hair bouncing round my shoulders and in my face. I grinned. I opened my eyes and Alice was mouthing the lyrics as she bounced. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was breathing faster, but not so much that I had to rest.

"Woo!" Alice said as we stopped jumping and danced again. She threw her head back and closed her eyes for a second before wiggling toward the floor again and then moving back up. The song got even faster in tempo and I danced faster to keep up with the rhythm. I was getting tired. But I didn't stop.

Alice glanced at my face and her eyes widened a little before she placed her hands on either side of my face as she moved her feet to the song. The cold temperature felt good on my hot skin. But now that the ice of her hands was on my face, I started to cool down and felt better in less than a minute. She removed her hands and started moving them gracefully again. I slowed down, but I still managed to dance in time with the beat. Alice slowed to the pace I was dancing at. I smiled gratefully. She returned the smile, her teeth sparkling. My hair was falling in my face again, so I swept it back over my head slowly, looking down shyly. I slowly moved my body down towards the floor like Alice had, and as I did this she copied me. I felt really happy that she was. She was so graceful, and I tried to do it like her. As I moved up again slowly, moving my hips, my arms raised up above my head and I spun, my hair whirling around me. It swept my face again but I left it this time. I laughed and Alice joined in.

My eyes suddenly found Edward. He was still sitting at the table, and he was looking at me. No, not looking… he was _gazing, _gazing with what looked like a glorious mix of awe, admiration, reverence, wonder, and most of all, _love. _True love. The truest love that ever was. I only had to look into his perfect golden eyes to see this. To feel this. His lips were parted, slightly curved into a tiny crooked smile. His eyes widened as we made eye contact. But then I felt my cheeks starting to warm up all over again and I looked away before I got too red. Alice was facing the radio as she danced now. The look in Edward's eyes just then made my knees feel weak. I stopped moving my feet and stayed in the same spot, facing away from him and now moving slower than before. I almost stopped completely, getting shy and embarrassed all over again. But Alice saved me just in time, finding my hands and getting me dancing again, supporting me just by holding my hands.

As Alice let me go she started clicking her fingers to the beat. I continued to let my arms flow and my waist move. It was like I wasn't even trying to make myself dance; it just happened naturally. But that didn't mean I thought I was good at it – the complete opposite. But Alice was here with me and no one was laughing at me yet. This was what kept me here. And I was really enjoying myself. I really was. I would thank Alice at some point. Alice spun around in a circle again and I did the same. We spun round as we danced around each other in a circle, my hair flying. Alice's spiky hair waved in the breeze. My head started to spin, but Alice caught my hands before I started swaying. I slowed my dancing to a stop, my eyebrows raising and my mouth turning into a tiny O shape as I breathed in and out. Alice sighed as if she was out of breath too, and then stopped half a second after me.

"Whoa, Bella, you were _amazing_! Wow! See, you _can_ do it. And you were damn brilliant too, so you should be really proud of yourself. I knew you were a better dancer than me all along, you just needed a little push that's all." Alice squealed, beaming.

"Alice… I'm not better… than you. That's impossible," I said, catching my breath.

"I am _so_ proud of you! Now, water. You need water." Alice said excitedly. She grabbed a glass and filled it within two seconds. I took the glass and drank down the water until it was finished. As soon as I set my glass down and thanked her for the drink, she threw her arms around me, gentle but firm, and warm despite her cold temperature. I laughed, hugging back. As a grinning Alice pulled away from me, Edward suddenly appeared in front of me and wrapped his long arms around me. Alice turned around to lower the volume of the radio as Edward embraced me.

"Bella, you are absolutely mind-blowing. You're perfect. I love you so much. You were literally stunning. I don't deserve you," Edward whispered into my ear very quietly. His cool breath felt lovely on my skin.

"_I_ don't deserve _you_," I whispered back, believing every word I said. But I felt my heart filling up so much that it felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. It was thumping and pounding and punching against my lungs. Edward squeezed me tighter for a second before releasing me. His face was beaming above me, his eyes warm. All I could see in his beautiful gold eyes was love. And I made sure that all that Edward could see in my eyes was love.

We all walked to the living room to sit down, Edward's cool arm around my waist, hugging me to him. He kissed the top of my head as we walked. Alice flitted to the couch and perched on the seat, not being able to keep her smile away from her gorgeous face. It was infectious. Edward sat me on his hard lap, but cuddled me to his chest with his arms around me, cooling me down to normal temperature. As he felt my temperature go down, he loosened his arms around me. But he didn't quite let go. I leaned my head back a bit. My hair fell away from my face. Alice lightly combed a hand through my hair once.

I felt very comfortable now. I wondered what time it was and the question bubbled to my lips. Alice checked in half a second and Edward read her mind and told me just before she sat down again.

"It's three thirty," Edward said.

"Ok." I murmured. I wasn't tired enough for a nap, but my body was very relaxed.

"Alice, are you staying until dinner?" I asked; Charlie'd asked me to get her to stay.

"Yes, of course." Alice answered.

"All right. Good luck on convincing Charlie you're eating the food," I joked. Alice and Edward chuckled. "Then again, I'll be cooking, so you won't need to worry. I'll cover for you." I went on, laughing once.

"You won't need to, Bella honey. Do you cook every night?" Alice asked, surprised.

"Sure. Pretty much every night." I told her.

"That's unusual." She commented, sounding impressed. I smiled.

The rest of the afternoon passed, and drizzle started falling outside, fogging up the windows as we heard Charlie's cruiser pull up. I moved so that I was sitting away from Edward's lap, not wanting any looks from Dad. I was sitting between Alice and Edward on the couch when he entered the house. He called my name as usual, and I responded.

Edward quickly switched on the TV and we all pretended to be watching it as he walked in.

"Hey, Dad." I greeted him. Edward and Alice greeted him warmly. Charlie waved away all the friendly hellos but looked pleased all the same. I got up to catch up with him in the kitchen.

"All right, Bells? Have a good day?" asked Charlie, sitting down in the chair that Edward has sat in earlier.

"It was great thanks. How was yours?" I said, smiling at him.

"Ah, same old, same old. Nothing new." He answered. He was ruffling his hair, frowning.  
"What would you like for dinner?" I asked, sweeping my hair back over my head.

"I'm not fussed, Bell. The food's great whatever you cook." Charlie laughed, his crinkly grin rising right up to his eyes.

I decided on Spaghetti Bolognese, and I was getting the ingredients together as Charlie got up and made his way to the living room. I heard him strike up a conversation with our guests. As I started cooking, I remembered dancing with Alice right here in the kitchen earlier. The memory made me smile. I still couldn't quite believe she'd got me to dance in front of anyone, let alone Edward! I still felt embarrassed remembering his eyes on me the whole time. I could already feel my face getting warmer. So I distracted myself with the cooking as best I could. It worked; I got stuck into chopping the ingredients and throwing them into the pan. The sky was slowly darkening to indigo and the rain started pouring harder. I stood watching over the food, arms folded.

"Gah!" I shouted when Edward materialized beside me.

"Sorry," Edward whispered, kissing my hair softly.

"Don't worry," I reassured him, resting my head against his side. He gently rubbed his hand up and down my back.

"How are you?" He murmured into my hair, wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. My back was resting against his marble chest. He kissed my neck very softly. Then he locked together his hands on my stomach. I shivered.

"Fine. And you?" I giggled; his cold breath was tickling my skin.

"Perfect, when I'm here with you." He answered in a whisper. I took the lid off the pan of cooking meat and grabbed a nearby fork. I dipped it into the food. I was internally cringing to see my hand shaking in front of me; Edward's breath was flowing down my warm neck. The fork was steaming, and I blew it gently. I touched it to my tongue, but it burnt it. I blew it a little more and then tried touching a finger to it instead. Just as I opened my mouth to pop my finger in and taste, Edward's hand appeared in front of me and his cold fingers landed on my finger. I frowned as he stared at me, lifting it to his own mouth. He stuck it in between his icy glass-smooth lips. My jaw dropped. The fork slipped from my fingers and clanged on the floor. His eyes had a wicked glint in them as I felt his tongue very lightly lick my finger. I gasped at the ice-cold sensation flowing rapidly down my hand. Edward never took his eyes away from mine. I shivered again. It felt… sensual. My heart immediately pounded harder and harder in my chest. When I started breathing faster, he removed my finger from his mouth. My mouth was still hanging open. He licked his lips, still looking at me.

"Hmm…" he purred, forming a response to the taste of the food. "I think it's… weirdly appealing. The food itself… is unpalatable, as you can understand, for me. But _you_, on the other hand… you are disgustingly luscious." And then he smiled his crooked smile and licked his lips again. I sucked in a jagged breath, heart whacking my chest so hard I was breathing unattractively loud. I unwillingly ripped my gaze from his, hiding my smile. But the lid was back on the pan. Once my face was composed, I turned my face towards his, trying to reach his parted lips.

"Uh-uh," Edward declined smoothly, putting one finger against my mouth to stop me. I sighed. What was the problem? I instantly chastised myself at my impatience, reminding myself that he was only being cautious, controlling his thirst. Despite this, I still felt a twinge of hurt at his rejection. He'd just stuck my finger in his mouth, for crying out loud. He was controlling it perfectly then.

"Charlie's coming," I said as an excuse to pull away. I struggled against his arms then took his cold wrists and pulled. He released me immediately once he realized what I was doing. I was sure that Edward was going to point out that Charlie wasn't near. But he stayed silent. I walked past him, heading for the living room. I sat next to Alice on the couch. Charlie was engrossed in the baseball game on the TV. Alice greeted me with a smile. I smiled back. Then I felt embarrassed, knowing that she'd foreseen what Edward did to me in the kitchen just now. I blushed hard as I watched the screen for a few minutes until I had to put the pasta on. When I returned to the kitchen, Edward was gone. Telling myself he was probably coming back, I put on the pasta. I waited right there in the kitchen. He didn't return. The pasta cooked and he still didn't come back. I served up and called in Charlie. We sat down at the table as I silently worried about Edward. I knew it was silly, but I couldn't help it. Charlie started tucking in. After a little while, I began to think that Charlie wasn't going to notice that Alice wasn't coming to join us. He was used to Edward passing on dinner. But then Charlie frowned.

"Alice, you having some food?" He called through to her.

"Not just yet, I'll have some later, thanks." Alice called back. I watched Charlie as he shrugged and continued to eat. I swirled my spaghetti round my fork, wondering once again where Edward was. A sharp pang of regret hit me; what if I'd upset him by walking away? What if he wasn't even upstairs? Surely Alice would tell me if he'd gone home. But then, wouldn't he at least say goodbye first? It wasn't like him to slip away with no explanation. Suddenly my worries were interrupted; Charlie was trying to get my attention.

"Bella?" He asked a little impatiently.

"Yes, Dad?" I blinked, coming back to the present.

"I called your name three times, are you all right?" He frowned in concern.

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"Where's Edward? Gone home early tonight?" Charlie asked, disapproval colouring his tone. He obviously considered Edward's sudden absence rude.

"No, he's upstairs, I think." I replied, though I didn't believe what I was saying. I ate my food without thinking about it, my forehead puckering.

"All right. Well, they don't know what they're missing,"" he went on, his frown fading, "'cause this food is delicious." He chuckled quietly, filling up his fork and popping it into his mouth happily.

"Thanks," I smiled weakly.

As we finished up and I piled the dishes into the sink, Charlie went back to the living room couch as Alice appeared on the kitchen counter with a dishtowel. I turned on the taps. Staring at the rushing water, I spoke.

"Alice… Edward _is_ still here right? He hasn't gone home or anything?" I asked uncertainly. I could barely hear myself over the noise of the taps. But knew Alice would hear.

"No, Bella, of course he hasn't left. He's in your room." Alice said reassuringly.

I could sense no false note in her answer. But she looked down with a little smile, as if she was hiding a secret.

"Alice, what is it?" I asked, turning off the taps. I couldn't stop a smile from playing on the edge of my lips; she looked like she was holding back from laughing.

"Bella, you worry way too much – Edward's fine. He's waiting for you."

I tilted my head to the side, scrubbing my dish.

"Trust me. I'm positive." She assured me.

"It's ok. I believe you, it's just…" I trailed off, not finishing. I couldn't organise my previous worries into words.

"It's what?" Alice prompted gently.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter now." I dismissed. She nodded, not pressing any further. I was grateful for that.

I continued to wash the dishes while Alice dried them. When I was done, Alice walked behind me up the stairs. I opened my bedroom door.

Edward was lying back in my rocking chair, reading one of my books. Before I had a chance to read the title, his head snapped up and the book seemed to disappear from his hands. I heard a quiet _thunk _on the floor next to his foot. He smiled his crooked smile at me. A huge grin automatically broke across my face. I didn't even have to think – my feet immediately moved my body toward him. His long arms welcomed me I sat on his lap and cuddled against his chest. I closed my eyes, content. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. I could hear Alice humming; it sounded like wind chimes. I could feel the coldness of Edward seeping through his shirt and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out. I felt something softly pressing into the top of my head, into my hair… was it his lips? But just as I thought this, Edward took a deep breath and exhaled slowly over me. His delicious breath swept over my face and as I breathed it in, I tried hard to think of a way to describe the scent… honey, roses, lavender… none of these things accurately summed up the mouth-watering perfume of his breath. I moved my face closer into him, silently taking in his scent. No, I couldn't describe it. No words could give it justice. No man-made perfume could rival it. It was a smell unique to Edward. Alice and the rest of the Cullens had their own subtly unique scents too. Scents I couldn't put words to.

There was no heartbeat in Edward's chest. He rocked me backwards and forwards very slowly, and his arms wrapped tighter around me. I was in danger of falling asleep in his arms, but I didn't want to escape this moment. There was a quiet whisper above my head. He was talking to Alice. But I couldn't understand what he was saying. We rocked back and forth over and over again, and after several peaceful minutes, Edward stopped. He lifted me up into his arms and eased me onto my bed. My eyes were still closed, and I was getting quite tired now, but at the same time I wanted to stay awake with Edward and Alice. Then my mind reminded me that that I needed to change into my pyjamas. I opened my eyes slowly and sat back up again. Edward, lying next to me, sat up too, eyes slightly wide in surprise. Alice was sitting on the bed as well, ruffling her spiky hair.

"I need a human minute," I whispered very quietly to Edward. As I stumbled to my feet to grab my nightclothes from my dresser, almost tripping over my walking cast, I was shocked to find them in my hand before I could take the first step. Edward had got there first.

"Whoa – thank you," I gasped. He grinned, winking at me. I blinked rapidly before turning and heading for the bathroom. My heart was thudding in reaction to his grin and wink. I was dazzled.

Shutting the bathroom door behind me, I looked at the shower for a second. Then I opened the door again and grabbed a fresh towel from the laundry room. I was so dazed I wasn't thinking straight. I locked the door, stripped and stepped under the hot shower. I washed my hair with my familiar strawberry shampoo. I took longer than I intended, not wanting to get out. Eventually I turned off the shower and dried myself quickly. I got changed into my pyjamas before brushing my teeth thoroughly. I walked back to my bedroom, calling goodnight to Charlie as I did so.

I shut my door and paused before crawling into my bed and lying down under the covers. My damp hair stuck to my back. Alice appeared in my rocking chair.

Edward was lying facing me, smiling lovingly at me. I could see every eyelash on each of his eyes. I could have counted them, even. But my eyes closed. I didn't fall asleep though. The room was silent, and after what felt like several minutes, I felt a movement beside me. It felt like Edward was turning over onto his back and sitting up a bit. I started breathing deeper. I couldn't tell whether they thought I was asleep or not. After a few more minutes, Alice's bell voice quietly broke the silence.

"She's so lucky – being able to dream. I never realized until now… humans can just escape from the world, any time, no matter what's happening in their lives." As she mused, he voice slowed.

"You only just realized?" Edward asked sceptically.

"Of course." Alice replied, sounding surprised at his tone of voice. Edward sighed.

"I bet it sucks that you can't even see her dreams." Alice giggled. I could almost see Edward glaring at her with my eyes closed. I held back a smile.

"Bella talks in her sleep, I'd like to point out, _again_." Edward informed Alice, exasperated. But there was a playful edge to his voice.

"Yeah but that's not the same as _seeing_ her dreams though, Edward, is it?" Alice teased.

"I'll have you know, _Alice_, that she doesn't dream of you. I can tell you that much." Edward gloated in a low voice.

"And how exactly would you know that, so-called mind reader?" Alice challenged.

"Bella says my name in her sleep every night. Which is more than I can say for you, vision freak." Edward said the first sentence with reverence, and chuckled after the second playfully.

"Can't hear her Edward, I have to say." Alice pointed out.

"Well she isn't going to offend you, she's better than that. By the way, I _know_ I'm right."

Edward said in a low, appealing voice.

"I would suggest you back up your statements with proof. Otherwise nobody's going to believe you." Said Alice, complacent.

"Just wait. Bella _will_ say my name. I can promise you that." Edward said with a smile in his voice. He sounded very certain. I wasn't about to prove him right, even if I wanted to. That just seemed a little silly to me. If Alice stayed all night, I would undoubtedly talk in my sleep anyway, to my extreme embarrassment. As Edward had once said, _"If I could dream at all it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it"_, I wasn't embarrassed about dreaming about _him_; I just didn't want to be mumbling in my sleep about it. Goodness knows what else I was saying in my periods of unconsciousness. Nothing particularly incriminating so far, I hoped. I listened for them again, enjoying the entertainment. But it was quiet now. All I could hear was the patter of rain outside my window. Eventually I drifted to sleep.

I slipped into a vivid dream. I was sitting in my living room, sliding a videotape into the VCR. As it started playing, my mother's worried face appeared on the TV screen. I leaned forwards. I listened as she spoke seriously to me. I frowned as I watched.

"Bella, you have to hurry. Edward is waiting for you in the ballet studio. But he won't be there long – he'll leave within twenty minutes if you don't get there soon. And he won't be coming back. You'll never see him again. If you want him to stay, you have to go. Leave now. Go!" Her eyes were terrified, and my heart started thudding. Without thinking, I leaped up from my seat and sprinted across the living room, through the hall and out the front door. I spun wildly as I arrived outside, trying to remember which direction to go. I ran forwards as fast as my legs would carry me. The roads were empty, and the sky was black. But there were people strolling down the street. I sprinted, pushing past the people blocking my way. I ran and ran, until I reached the corner. When I ran past it, I rounded another one before I saw a sign in the distance. The sign I was looking for: Mimi's Ballet Studio. I started sprinting again, panting for air.

When I finally reached it, I shoved the door open and rushed inside. It was dim, but I could see double doors ahead, and I headed towards them. Pushing them open, I looked around me. I was there. The ballet studio. The high ceiling let the moonlight seep in and the dark floorboards creaked under my feet as I took three steps forward. I couldn't see Edward. I took three more steps into the room. I could see my reflection in the mirrors surrounding me. I took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Where was he?

As I caught my breath, I took one more step forward. My heart started to beat faster in fear: was I too late? I could feel tears welling up in my panicked eyes as they darted around the room. And then I stopped. My breathing halted. I stared. I could see a tall figure in silhouette across the room.

"Edward?" I whispered.

And then the figure stepped forward, into the dim light. I breathed a deep sigh of relief. There he was, pale and beautiful, standing opposite me, at the other end of the ballet studio. I started walking towards him, but he held up his hand to stop me. I stopped in my tracks. He very slowly took two more steps forward. I took in his expression. It was carved out of stone. His eyes were cold. I felt the blood drain from my face. I closed my eyes to escape from his icy gaze. I tried to calm down my breathing. Inhaling, then exhaling. Suddenly a freezing hand dropped on my right shoulder. I screamed. Then the hand covered my mouth. I squirmed and jumped away, gasping. My eyes focussed and saw Edward standing feet away from me. My eyes widened. Why? Why was he doing this to me?

Edward's face suddenly changed. It melted into a troubled, tortured expression, and his black eyes were pained. I instantly forgot my fear and stepped in front of him, my love for him suddenly swirling up deep in the pit of my stomach.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Bella, what do you _think _is wrong?" He demanded harshly, eyes flashing.

"It's wrong that you should be sad." I replied in a whisper, eyes bugging out of my sockets at the horrifying expression on his face.

"What makes you say that? Why should it be such a terrible thing for me to upset? My feelings shouldn't affect you. I'm a vampire. You're a human."

His voice was ice cold and almost mocking. His dark eyes narrowed at me. Was this really Edward? Did he truly believe what he'd just said? That his feelings shouldn't affect me? Did he think these past months together were a lie on my part? He didn't know me if he thought that. He didn't know me at all.

"Edward, I don't know why you think this, but whatever the reason, you're wrong. I _do_ love you, and your feelings _do_ affect me. Newsflash Edward, that's what happens when you fall in love. I love you more than anything else in the world. And I would die for you without a second thought. That's just the way it is. Nothing will change that." My words were the absolute truth, and I felt a sense of conviction as I said them, a confirmation that not a single word was a lie. And because of this, my words came out stronger than I thought they would.

"I would die for you. I promise to end my life when yours ends. But then, a lot of people say that when they fall in love for the first time. Believe me, I know. Being a mind reader for this long helps me know that. If I walked away right now, you would forget me in the next few months, a year at most. You will meet someone better, someone who can give you what you want, in the short term and in the long term. I cannot give you what you want, Bella." His voice was calm now, bleak. He shook his head slowly.

"You know what I want. I'm not going to repeat myself." I said, my eyes narrowing now.

"Don't start, Bella. Please don't ask me for something I will not give you." Edward sighed, but his voice broke just before he finished speaking.

"See, you _can_ give me immortality but you won't. Notice the difference?" I was speaking to him in a way I never normally would. His words were bringing out the worst in me, a side of me I had never known before. A side of me I didn't like at all. Only Edward would be able to do that.

"I _do_ notice the difference, thank you." He snapped, eyes flashing again. His lips tightened into a hard line. My attitude obviously made him angry. I was glad.

"Good." I replied, but tears started welling up again. I blinked furiously. But one solitary tear escaped, running down my cheek. Edward stared at the tear travelling down my face, and his eyes softened for a moment, before they abruptly froze back into the angry black depths.

"You say that you love me, that you'd die for me, but how can you possibly know what it's like for me to feel the same way about you? It's not as simple as human feelings. It's a lot more complex." He shook his head again as he said this. His hand started to lift to touch my cheek, but he quickly lowered it again. His eyes were tortured and his face was twisted in anguish. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. I shook my head, looking away, letting the tears escape and run down my cheeks.

"How can you love me? Why?" Edward asked, sounding like he was crying tearless sobs.

The question made a bubble of anger boil in my stomach, and I frowned disbelievingly at him.

"Edward, stop--" I demanded.

"How can you possibly understand that every second I'm with you is about self-control? How can you know what it's like to look at you every day and wish with my dead heart and absent soul that I could be human? How could you, when you've been walking this planet for a mere seventeen and a half years and I've been here for over a hundred?" Edward spat, voice starting to shake. He tilted his head, waiting for my response, still looking and sounding like he was crying. His pain stabbed me through the heart.

"Stop. You stop right now, Edward. This isn't helping either of us. You're right – I can't understand. But I do understand how much _I_ love _you_." I wiped my tears away and made an effort to hold them back now. But Edward's expression changed again, into a mocking mask.

"Oh, but you're just a human, Bella. You can't love me. I'm not even your species, sweetheart. I know that you _trust_ me, but I don't know that you love me like I love you. If you felt even an inkling of what I feel for you, a second of the searing agony in my throat every moment you're here, your body would crumble to pieces. You're fragile. You're breakable." He was staring straight into my eyes, and his gaze was piercing. He saw straight into my soul.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare underestimate my feelings. I love you, and I will always love you. Forever." My voice scared me. It came out much more forcefully than I'd intended. Edward acted as if I hadn't spoken.

"And yet here you stand, inches away from a vampire, completely in your will, because you trust me." He continued, eyes softening for a split second before hardening again.

I wanted to scream at him. And then I did; maybe that would stop him from saying these things to me.

"Edward, I LOVE YOU! Why can't you see that?" I yelled at him. It worked; he flinched. I reached out for his hand. But he knocked it away, with more force than I expected. I gasped and clutched my hand to my chest; it was throbbing. I tried to shake away the pain. He glanced down at my hand and regret washed over his face. He looked back into my eyes, immense apology in his eyes. I looked away, not wanting to see his eyes. I controlled my expression before my pain made me give him a look I didn't want to give him. When I composed my face, I saw that Edward's face was stone, and his eyes were cold again. I sighed, shaking my head. He continued to speak in the same tone he was talking in a moment ago, albeit quieter than before.

"I know that you are a magnet for trouble, know it better than my own name, but I would expect you to have seen sense this time. Look at the black eyes I have right now, Bella! You know that you have the sweetest blood that I've ever smelt, and yet here you are, standing before a thirsty vampire. Lover or no lover, you are in danger. Grave danger. And you were since the moment I met you."

I gave up, stunned into silence. He was never going to stop was he?

"Bella, you _must_ start making an effort to keep yourself safe. You're life is at stake, what more incentive do you need, for heaven's sake?" He almost shouted.

I jumped, blinking rapidly.

"I can take care of myself. But I'm _here_ because of you, not dead. You seem to forget that, don't you?" I asked, vehement.

"I know you _can't_ take care of yourself. Do you honestly think that just anyone would willingly come to a thirsty vampire? I think not. Only you, Bella, only you." His voice quieted. His face was still stone. This wasn't the Edward I knew.

"I'm only human, Edward. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would willingly come to you. Look at yourself. How can you possibly still think that, when you planned to invite me to leave with you the day you first saw me, so you could find a quiet place to kill me? I didn't even know you. And you didn't know me. It appears that you still don't."

My words stopped Edward short, and he didn't speak. His lips parted in shock.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I demanded. He was silent.

"Aren't I?" I demanded again.

"Yes, you are." Edward finally replied in a quiet voice.

"Not as stupid as you thought then, huh?" I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I never said--"

"Oh, you don't need to! You don't need to. You've made your point. And actions speak louder than words." I paused, collecting my thoughts. Edward waited without a word.

"I came here because I saw the video tape and I couldn't let you leave. I came because I can't live without you. I love you. I'll wait for you. Come home." I whispered.

And with that I turned away from him. I started walking across the long room towards the exit.

"Bella?" Edward protested. His voice shook. I didn't stop, shaking my head.

"Bella, stop!" Edward begged. I kept walking. I would wait for him. I'd told him everything I could. There was nothing more to say. A lump formed in my throat at his voice. My eyes welled up yet again, and the tears flooded down my cheeks.

Suddenly a hand landed on my arm and yanked me around. He was too strong.

"Edward, st--" I began, but then his mouth was crushing mine and he lifted me up in his marble arms. He crushed me to him so hard I couldn't breathe, kissing me so fiercely my lips frantically responded to his aggression and passion. My lips felt as if they were fire, and the fire spread down my neck, both arms and through my whole body. Goosebumps erupted on my skin. He was burning me. I started shaking. He had never, ever kissed me like this. His lips moved with mine rapidly, forcefully. My head felt like it was whirling in circles and my eyes opened, about to roll back into my head. Suddenly Edward pulled his face away from mine and held me securely as he let me slide to my feet. My head slowly stopped spinning as he held me in place so I wouldn't collapse. We were both gasping for air. I reached out for him desperately, needing him more than oxygen at that moment. He took my wrists and held them in his hands as he lowered them. The tears spurted down my face. A shrill wail echoed through the studio. And then with a jolt I realized it was me.

"Don't cry. Please don't cry." Edward pleaded, his face tortured, looking like he needed me as I needed him – more than life itself. His black eyes were wide and gazing into mine.

"Can't…help it," I sobbed. I was still breathing hard, and so was Edward.

"I'm so sorry." Edward moaned, his face transforming again. He looked like he was burning. His forehead was creased so much that he looked a thousand years old.

"Th-there's no way that you could harm me, Edward. Trust me, Edward, as I trust you. I know you. If you could leave me in that classroom alive that first day, then you can never kill me. I thought you would know that." I wept. "But you know what _does_ kill me? The thought of saying goodbye for good and walking away from you. It always has been."

Edward placed his cold hand gently against my cheek. He leaned in and pressed his cold lips to mine softly once. And then he pulled away. He took one step back.

"Bella…" He murmured, closing his eyes. I frowned in confusion.

He slowly opened them again. He looked straight into my eyes. And then he started backing away.

"No," I muttered disbelievingly. He got faster and faster with every step.

"Edward! NO! No, don't leave. Stop, stop! No, Edward, DON'T!" I screamed, running after him. His body slowly darkened before his was completely obscured by the shadows. He disappeared.

I hurtled towards the shadows. He was gone. I screamed and fell to my knees, shrieking Edward's name over and over again. The tears streamed down my face. He was gone…

My eyes snapped open and fluttered. "Edward!" I screamed. My cheeks were soaking, and I suddenly registered ice touching my burning cheeks. I couldn't see. I blinked twice, trying to clear my vision. I couldn't see him! Where was he? I needed to see his face.

"Bella! Bella, I'm here. I'm here, sweetheart, I'm here." The beautiful voice answered.

Was I dreaming? Was I awake?

"Edward," I mumbled, his voice calming me.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. I'm right here. I love you. Don't cry."

I closed my eyes, the water blocking my sight escaping. I opened my eyes again. And there he was, Edward. He was leaning over me, his hands on each of my cheeks. His topaz eyes were panicked and darting around my face. I breathed out. He was here. He was here.

"Don't – don't leave. Stay. Just a while longer, please," I begged. I needed him, just a little bit longer. I breathed in again and exhaled slowly. I kept blinking, not believing he was really here.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella." He whispered, kissing my forehead for a long moment.

"Am I dreaming?" I begged him.

"No, no, you're awake, you're awake. You're in your bed and I'm here with you. I'm not going anywhere, Bella." He repeated urgently.

The more I heard his voice, the more I believed he was here. I needed him to keep talking. He wiped away my tears and swept my hair away from my face.

"I love you, Bella."

I sighed, growing more and more reassured. I started to smile. I closed my eyes again. Edward's cold hands stroked my face softly. He put his head against my heart. It thumped hard, but was gradually slowing. Opening my eyes, I saw Edward lift his head from my chest. My hand lifted to touch his bronze hair, shining in the dim orange morning light from the window. I stroked it once, from the top of his head to the nape of his smooth neck. His eyes closed. I gasped at the softness of it. I wanted to do it again, but I dropped my hand to my side. He opened his eyes. He was here. He wasn't going anywhere. That knowledge dragged me to the surface of the darkness my dream had left me in.

"Bella, talk to me. How are you feeling?" Edward whispered, eyes widening slightly.

"I'm ok now. It was a dream. But I'm fine now," I whispered back. I tried to smile again, with success. After a moment, Edward smiled back, teeth gleaming.

"You scared me there. I didn't know what to do." Edward laughed once in relief, frowning.

"You just needed to be here, that's all. Just to be here, talking to me." I told him, trying to sit up. Edward moved aside so I could do this.

"That's good." He said, breathing out slowly.

"I'm sorry about that. For scaring you, I mean." I apologized, looking into his eyes.

"You don't have to apologize, Bella." Edward shook his head at me, laughing without humour.  
"Did Charlie hear? Did I wake him?" I blurted suddenly.

"No no, he's already left for work. It's just us."

"Alice?" I asked.

"She's at the house. If you'd like to come over with me later, she'll be waiting with the others for us. If you'd like." Edward said, making sure I had a choice.

"Of course I would." I smiled.

"Ok, sweetheart." He grinned back, tucking my hair behind my ear. His hand brushed my skin. It tingled at his touch. And then he spoke again, serious now.

"You can tell me about your dream later. I need to know." He stared intently into my eyes. I didn't respond, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk about it. But I knew Edward would not give in, once he made a decision. He wouldn't forget.

"I think I might go get something to eat." I muttered, turning to get up.

"Wait. Is your cast ready to come off today?" Edward asked, looking at it.

"Oh… um, yes. It is. I need to go to the hospital today." I said, nodding.

"All right. I'll drive you there later. You need to eat first. I'll make you breakfast, it's the least I can do." Edward told me. He didn't sound like he would let me change his mind, so I simply thanked him.

He lifted me up in his arms and cradled me close before walking at human speed down the stairs. I didn't know if he was doing it to prolong the moment, or to stop me from getting dizzy. But I was grateful whatever the reason. Edward gently placed me into a chair at the kitchen table. Then he opened the fridge door and took out a box of eggs, some bacon and cheddar cheese. He started humming my lullaby as he started making my omelette. I closed my eyes, listening to the wonderful sound. Before too long, I opened my eyes to see the steaming food on the plate in front of me. I smiled up at Edward gratefully. He smiled back warmly, nodding once. He sat down across from me.

"Eat." He ordered.

I obeyed, digging my fork into my omelette. Again, Edward watched the journey from the plate to my mouth. I hadn't had such a delicious breakfast in a while. I ate quickly.

When I finished, I started to get up to put my plate in the sink, but of course Edward got there first, taking the plate and fork from my hand and taking it there himself. I sat back down.

"Thank you." I told him. " That was lovely."

Edward turned around from the sink, smiling his crooked smile. He walked slowly towards me. He stepped around the table and arrived behind my chair. His hands landed on my shoulders. I tilted my head back to look up at him, wondering what he was doing. His head started to lower towards mine. He leaned closer and closer, his face upside down in front of mine. And then he slowly leaned in and brushed his cold, smooth lips against mine once. My eyes slid closed. He pressed his lips against mine softly. I kissed him back gently in response. Wow. It felt strange and unusual, but amazing at the same time. My heart sped up automatically and my hands reached up to hold his face to mine. He kissed me again, and we breathed in at the same time when we disconnected and connected again. My lips started tingling, like they were buzzing with an electric current. The sensation increased my heartbeat even more, until I started gasping. He kissed me again and again, varying the length. Quick kisses, then longer ones. But each kiss made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and goose bumps rise all over my warm skin. I began to feel as if I was burning again. This reminded me of my dream, when Edward was burning me with his kiss. I gasped again, clutching his face closer to mine.

After a few moments, Edward broke away, too soon. He lifted his face away from me, leaving me blinking hard. I was frozen in my seat, stunned at the ecstasy pumping around my body with every jagged thump of my heart. The room looked like it was spinning around me. My head swayed, and my hand flew to my face before it dropped forward. My dizziness gradually faded as I sat staring into nothing as it passed. Edward kneeled beside my chair. His hand found its way to my hair and tangled itself in the strands. I found his honey eyes. They looked unfocussed somewhat. Maybe he was light-headed too. No, he couldn't be. He composed his face, half-smiling weakly.

"Are you all right?" I asked him, a smile pulling on my face. I was still dazed.

"Wow, the room was spinning… was it the same for you?" He asked, chuckling. He stroked my hair.

"_You_ were dizzy too?" I said, surprised. My eyes widened. His eyes widened too at my question, apparently shocked that I would have to ask.

"Of course. I was getting worried; I thought I was losing it. I feel so human when I'm with you, Bella. You wouldn't believe. It's incredible."

"Oh…" was all I could say in response. I smiled. I looked down before I spoke again.

"I can't really think clearly right now… hold on." I chuckled quietly.

"Neither can I!" Edward laughed, pressing his forehead against mine for a second. We laughed together for a few moments, looking into each other's eyes. I never wanted this moment to end. We eventually composed ourselves, looking away from each other. But then Edward glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and we burst out laughing again. But this time I couldn't stop straight away. Edward's head dropped onto my shoulder, his loud laugh vibrating through my body and echoing throughout the kitchen with mine. I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbours could hear. I put my head on his shoulder too, both our shoulders shaking violently with laughter.

"Ok, ok, stop!" I giggled, lifting my head away. But Edward continued to laugh against my shoulder, causing me to laugh harder. He raised his head, still laughing. The look on his face made me feel the happiest I had ever felt. Seeing him happy made me happy. Then he started to calm down, shaking his head in an attempt to shake away the laughter too. He licked his lips, which were struggling to curve up again. His mouth was twitching. I nearly burst out laughing again, but I blew out my breath slowly to stop myself.

Edward took my hands and helped me stand up with him before letting me go again. A wicked smile broke across his angel's face as he took one of my hands and dragged me towards the stairs.


	4. Afraid

"Bella please."

"What?"

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Tell me."

Edward held both my hands in his cold, smooth grip as he tried to catch my eyes. I refused to look at him. If I did, I knew I would not be able to keep this up. We were in his car outside Forks Hospital, about to enter. I could feel Edward's penetrating gaze piercing through the side of my face. I could also feel a monster blush creeping across my cheeks. But my lips were curved up into a smile. No way was I going to let him have his way. Mind reader? I was immune.

"Bella…" Edward murmured.

Oh no. He was _not_ turning on this voice now. He knew what that voice did to me. He knew I would not be able to resist. "I promise not to tell anyone. Bella, look at me. I won't tell." Edward said, voice velvety. I concentrated on the heavy clouds outside and the condensation on the windscreen. First he had asked me politely, the way he normally spoke. One minute later and he had my will crumbling at the edges. He was such a cheater. I would not tell him about my nightmare. Now was not the time. I would tell him later, when I was ready. Not before. And at that moment I knew that my words were true. Simply thinking about what he had said to me in my dream made my heart squeeze in pain. It was not something I particularly liked experiencing. Besides, knowing Edward, if I told him now, he would end up going over it in his head for the rest of the day. Analysing. Over-thinking. He did not deserve that. I felt his finger on my chin, turning my face round slowly so that I had to face him. I closed my eyes. I was not taking any chances.

"You're not going to give in, are you?" Edward sighed.

"Let's go inside, Edward." I suggested, eyes still closed.

"Ok. But I'm not finished. I _will_ find out. You're killing me with curiosity." He replied in a frustrated purr. I turned away, freeing my hands so I could reach for the door. I could feel Edward's eyes on my back until I heard his door close. He was opening my door before I could blink. Deciding that it would be safe to look into his eyes now, I glanced up at him. But he was looking away, across the street. His hand was held out for me. He was still staring once I was out. A pucker appeared between his eyebrows.

At the point of his observation, the encroaching forest held nothing unusual. I squinted. At first, nothing changed. And then I saw them. Three tall figures appeared amongst the dense leaves of the trees. As I focused on their faces, I realised with a gasp of surprise who the person in the middle was.

Jacob. His two friends either side of him had long dark hair just like him, and had the same russet skin. They were all dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts, and they all wore the same deep frown on their faces. They walked to the edge of the forest and were now in full view. I glanced up at Edward, and as I did so, his arm found its way around my waist and held me securely to him.

"Come on. Let's go." Edward said in a deep voice, and I could hear the anger brewing under his words. My arm went around his waist and we turned towards the path to the hospital doors. I frowned as we started walking. What was Jacob doing here? He could not be here because of me. I was only here to get my cast removed. Hardly a social occasion. But I could not help feeling glad to see him. He had not bothered calling me, but it did not matter. Alice had told me everything I needed to know. Edward took me through the automatic doors and we made our way to the reception desk. Less than a minute later, I heard the doors open again. Edward started dragging me away. We were walking so fast it I could not even turn around to see if it was Jacob behind us. I twisted round to get a glance. Sure enough, he and his friends were a couple of metres behind us.

"Jake? What's going on? What are you doing here?" I asked in a rush as I tried to turn my head round to talk to him. I was being pulled along at such a speed I had to jog to keep up, even though Edward's arm was around me.

"Excuse me, your girlfriend is trying to talk to Jacob," said one of Jacob's companions.

Edward stopped so abruptly I lost my balance and fell backwards. But Edward's iron arm held me up.

"Edward, what is it? I whispered for his ears only, worry dominating my tone. He was no longer frowning, but his eyes were tight as he stared into the distance. He was trying to hide his emotions. As soon as I had finished speaking, he looked down at me, his dark gold eyes softening.

"I'll take care of this, Bella. I'll be with you in a moment, sit down." He told me softly.

I did not want to sit down. I wanted to know what was going on. And if he would not tell me, I would ask Jacob.

"No. What's going on here?" I demanded, taking my arm from his waist. Edward stared at me for a moment, straight into my eyes. His lips parted as if to protest, but then he thought better of it. He must have seen from my eyes that I meant business.

"Jacob has something he needs to remind me. He also wanted to--"

"I can speak for myself thanks." Jacob muttered, scowling at Edward.

He continued to glare at Edward as he continued.

"Just reminding you, Edward, that we're watching you. We won't let you hurt Bella. And neither will my father. Watch your back." Jacob warned, his husky voice low but serious. A quiet rage throbbed in his voice. Why on earth did he need to say that? His words left me three steps behind. Edward's lips were now held together so tightly that they were disappearing. His eyes were agonized. My heart leaped up to my throat in response to the expression on his painfully beautiful face.

"Jake, stop. Whatever you're thinking, just stop. You're not helping." I told him harshly, and I could feel my face twisting into a scowl. If he was just here to anger Edward, then there was not point in him being here. But his voice was surprisingly gentle as he whispered,

"We'll see you around, Bella. Take care of yourself. I'm here for you." Jacob stared into my eyes much longer than strictly necessary. I looked away before Edward caught on. But it was too late; Edward's eyes were glancing back and forth, from me to Jacob and back again. Jacob and his friends turned away, but then he turned back to me.

"Oh, Bella?" He asked, his eyebrows rising.

"Yes?"

"I'm still gonna call you. I don't break promises." He seemed to direct the last sentence at Edward, before cutting his eyes at him and turning away once again. Jacob's friend, the one who had not spoken, was looking at me a little longer than the others. Then he strode off with them. The three of them disappeared at the end of the corridor.

"Edward?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Bella?"

"I'm not taking any notice of him." I assured him.

"You're not?" Edward seemed surprised. He still looked upset – his eyes had lost the spark they'd had earlier.

"No. I'm not." I told him, shaking my head. And it was true. And why had Jacob said "we" before? He had already told me that his father was watching Edward and I. What, was he going to bring his friends along for the ride too? As I was thinking about this, a female nurse approached us.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" asked the nurse, sounding concerned.

"No thank you, we were just looking for Dr. Cullen." Said Edward politely.

"Can I ask why you require his assistance?" she asked, frowning.

"Bella here is having her walking cast removed today." He informed her. The nurse smiled at me.

"Follow me." She told us, walking ahead. Edward already knew where Carlisle was, but I guess he did not want to be impolite. He held his hand out for me, and I took it immediately, smiling up at him. We followed the nurse to an elevator and went inside.

Carlisle was standing before a patient's bed with a clipboard and a pen when we arrived. He turned away from the patient, ticking off something on his sheet of paper when he spotted us.

"Good afternoon, son. Hello Bella." He greeted us with a warm smile, eyes twinkling.

"Hello," Edward and I said simultaneously. Carlisle chuckled.

"Now. Let's get this cast taken off, shall we?" Carlisle said, gesturing for us to follow him. "Alice tells me you're going to drop by the house later, Bella." He continued.

"Yeah, apparently I am." I smiled, thinking of her.

"We all look forward to having you round. You're always welcome, Bella." He said sincerely.

"Thank you." I replied. We were now beside a vacant bed. I sat gingerly on the edge, waiting, while Edward stood beside me. He lightly stroked a hand through my hair. I automatically felt a warm shiver down my spine.

"Ok, Bella," Carlisle began, putting his clipboard to one side, "Let's begin."

***

"Ready?"

"I'm ready, Edward."

"All right."

Edward took my hand and we made our way down the hospital corridor towards the elevators. I was finally free of my cast and could walk normally again. We got the elevator to ourselves.

I was looking straight at the doors as we descended, my mind floating in a daydream. I drifted to a fantasy of what it would be like to be trapped here with him. I felt his arm slide around my waist, but I was lost to my thoughts.

"Bella…" Someone whispered in my ear. I jumped back to reality. But as soon as I saw Edward's face, I knew I was dreaming again. He stroked my cheek with a cold finger. The sensation of his touch felt like fire slicing down my face, despite the icy temperature of his skin.

"Yes?" I whispered, looking into his eyes. They seemed to scorch down at me. He sealed the padlock to our gaze. There was no way out.

"If this elevator got stuck… what would you do?" he breathed, his dark eyes searching mine. I stared in amazement, wondering if he was able to read my mind after all.

"I know what I _should _do…" I mumbled, my breath coming faster.

"And what is that?" he murmured, sweeping a strand of hair from my burning cheek and slowly tucking it behind my ear. If the doors opened now and someone saw us…

"Bella?" he prompted, his face inches from mine. His proximity made my heart ache and I could feel a warm fluttering deep down in the pit of my stomach. The feeling was a cross between pleasure and discomfort.

"I can't think when you look at me like that." I told him breathlessly.

He chuckled under his breath. Then he took a step back, smirking at me. The spark was back in his eyes. I sighed when the doors opened. There was a woman with a pushchair waiting outside. She started walking into the elevator before Edward and I could get out.

When we did eventually escape, we headed for the exit. Edward's Volvo gleamed amongst the other vehicles in the parking lot. It drew several staring eyes to us as we strolled towards the car. As usual, Edward opened the passenger door for me. I watched him glide gracefully around the front of the car to the driver's side. There was a bottle of water between our seats.

"Do you mind if…"I asked him, pointing at the water.

"Sure. It's for you." Edward smiled, starting the engine.

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip. My mouth was so dry I wondered how I hadn't noticed before. Edward drove slowly, for him, which was unusual. I stared out the windscreen. The weather hadn't changed, if anything the clouds were heavier than before. It was quiet in the car, but not awkward or uncomfortable. I felt an overwhelming sense of security and safety in his presence. This was familiar. Edward's quiet musical voice broke the silence.

"You never told me. What would you do – if you were trapped with me in that elevator?"

He looked over at me and caught my eye. His eyes yearned for my answer. A smile played on the edge of his lips.

"Well, I could either do the right thing by pressing the bell and waiting for help," I began, not quite meeting his eyes as I spoke. " Or I could get you to force the doors open and get us out…" I smirked and glanced away. But not before I saw his smile widen. He was about to ask for more, but I cut him off. "Or…" I whispered. I stared down at my lap. I could feel his eyes on me.

"Or?" He prompted impatiently.

"I could stay with you." I looked up at him without raising my head. He stared back, his face turning serious. He seemed to be searching my eyes for something. I noticed his jaw tighten and relax. And then he looked away. He concentrated on the road. I couldn't work out what he was thinking. I looked at him for the rest of the journey, and he still didn't look back at me. When Edward parked, I expected to see Charlie's house. Instead I saw the Cullen mansion in all its glory, tall and magnificent before my eyes. I stepped out before Edward could reach me. The clouds were gradually letting bright rays of sun seep through. With a gasp I saw Edward's skin turn pearly as it dimly reflected the light escaping from the sky. Before long, his skin sparkled like diamonds embedded in marble.

"Wow," I mouthed involuntarily. Edward's scintillating arm reached for me to take my hand. His face held a small smile, and when I grabbed his hand, he smiled wider, his teeth glistening brilliantly. We slowly walked hand in hand towards the porch. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I had an angel beside me. There was no better way to describe him.

His untidy bronze hair blew gently in the light breeze and shined under the sun, turning to a soft gold colour. But by the time we reached the porch, his skin turned from glittering diamond to glowing pearl, and finally to white marble again. The sight of this transformation would remain in my memory forever. I didn't realize that I had stopped walking until Edward stopped too, chuckling at me.

"We'll need to walk a little bit further to get into the house, sweetheart." Edward joked, stroking my hair. Then he swept away some strands covering my eyes. His hand lingered on my face for a long moment. The coldness from his hand was the perfect antidote to my flaming cheeks.

"I know. I was distracted, that's all." I replied, my lips curving up into a smile.

"Hmm. I can understand that." Said Edward with a half-smile. Then it faded. His face turned serious again, his hand still on my face.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a whisper. He seemed sombre. Something was upsetting him; I could see it in his eyes.

"I'm waiting for you to feel afraid. But you don't look scared at all. I don't see a trace of fear in your eyes." He told me slowly, his voice deep, tilting his head to one side with a frown. He stroked his thumb against my cheek, soft as a whisper.

"That's because there isn't any," I replied honestly. I didn't even try to find any fear in me; it was pointless.

"I'm inclined to believe you, Bella. Truly, I am. It's just hard to believe myself, that's all." He spoke so quietly I could just about hear him. But I didn't understand what he meant. My thoughts slipped into my words, puzzlement colouring my tone. Edward raised his other hand to stroke away the line between my eyebrows. It took him a moment to answer, his lips parting and then closing again.

"I see trust in your eyes, Bella. It's something I don't deserve. That's why I don't believe myself when I look at you - I don't believe what my eyes are telling me. But then I have to, because there's a contradiction to my thoughts right in front of me, in your eyes." He spoke very softly, eyes locking with mine.

"I do trust you. I always have, and I always will. You do deserve it." I told him.

"I know you do. Thank you." He said, and I could see that he meant it as I looked into the bottomless depths of his topaz eyes. Tomorrow those eyes would burn a darker topaz while retaining the same gravitational force…

"Bella!" Edward called. I got the feeling he had called me several times. I blinked, coming back to the present.

"I'm sorry." I looked away with embarrassment.

"Let's go. Alice is getting impatient." Edward laughed.

As if to prove his point, suddenly the front door thrust open. There was Alice, a frown on her beautiful pixie face. Her hair was spiky as usual, pointing in every direction.

"Honestly, you two, I'd be here all night waiting for you if I didn't do this. Hurry up!"

She ordered, her high voice shooting through an octave, her hand waving us inside.

"Patience, Alice. We were having an important conversation here. Weren't we, Bella?" Edward said with a turn-of-the-century cadence.

"We were, Edward. We'll be right behind you, Alice." I grinned.

"No, now. Don't keep me waiting." Alice insisted. But she sounded more patient all the same. We deliberately strolled to the door. Alice rolled her eyes, disappearing inside. Edward let me go in first. The usually white room was dim, lit only by dozens of candles placed all around, casting shadows on the walls and creating a weirdly magical feeling. Like anything could happen here. It was beautiful, but very subtle. The white sofa was pushed to the left side of the room. The grand piano was in its usual spot, and three candles were placed together on the top of it. There was a small table in the centre of the room with two chairs, one on each side. Was that meant for Edward and I? I thought of Alice's intentions. Covering the table was a silk tablecloth, and in the centre there stood a candle in a heart-shaped holder that glistened with tiny crystals embedded in the surface. Beside the candle, a pink tinted glass vase held a single red rose. Suddenly Alice reappeared beside me.

"So… what do you think?" She giggled.

"I love it. But is this really all for us?" I asked, glancing up at Edward and then back at Alice.

"It's for you and Edward. This place is yours tonight. All yours." Alice grinned, and I was sure she winked at Edward.

"Where are the others?" I asked both of them.

"Rosalie and Emmett are spending the night away together, and Jasper and I are going to Denali along with Carlisle and Esme. Don't worry Bella, I have it all figured out." She assured me. "I'm not finished yet though," She continued, a wicked glint in her eye.

"But Charlie…" I trailed off. I had not got the chance to tell him where I would be.

"I told your father over the phone that you'll be here tonight. Unless… you want to go back home." She ended the sentence sadly, clearly showing that she wanted me to stay.

In truth, there was nowhere I would rather be than here. But I could not help thinking about where I would sleep – it was unlikely there would be beds here. But I kept my thoughts to myself. It was probably taken care of by Alice already. If not, that wouldn't be a problem; the sofa looked pretty comfortable.

"I do want to stay. I'm just a little surprised that's all. I couldn't turn this down when you've put so much effort in it for us." I smiled, looking around. It was so cosy and… romantic. Unexpectedly, my heart skipped a beat. I glanced at Edward next to me; he must have noticed my irregular heartbeat. He was looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Great! Now, first things first. Clothes. Bella, follow me. I have the perfect outfit." Alice turned away, before she realised I wasn't following. The thought of what she had planned for me to wear worried me. I bit my lip. Edward leant down to whisper in my ear, "I'd follow if I were you," then he chuckled and said, "I don't know what she has planned for you, but I have to get changed too. You're not alone." He rubbed a hand softly across my back to soothe me. I nodded and followed Alice towards the stairs. I glanced behind me as I walked, but he had vanished. Alice must have silently told him where to go to find his outfit. We walked up the colossal staircase. After about five seconds she stopped and turned to me.

"Let's go my way. This is taking forever." Alice shook her head. She asked me if I minded her carrying me. When I agreed, we hurtled up the stairs in a flash and before I knew it, we were at her destination. I guessed we were outside her and Jasper's room.

"Close your eyes." Alice said before she went in the room. I obeyed, feeling a soft breeze.

"Open up!" She squeaked, making me jump.

"Oh!" I whispered, looking at the dress Alice held in her hands. It was a gorgeous midnight blue silk dress with a hem that flowed like a gentle breeze rippling the ocean. Tiny blue and white diamonds edged the V-neck and the hem. More of these diamonds were placed in isolated spaces on the front of the dress so that it avoided looking over-the-top but still looked breathtaking. The light shimmered off the silk of the dress, the diamonds twinkling brightly. It reminded me of an evening sky speckled with stars. The straps were thin and as Alice turned the dress around to let me see the other side, I saw that the back hung low. The tiny diamonds were placed just as sparingly on this side as on the front, which worked perfectly. I looked down and saw that the dress was very long, so long that it swept the floor. It was magnificent, too beautiful for someone like me to wear.

"Alice… I can't wear this." I laughed once, shocked at her choice for me.

"Why not? I had it made especially for you. This is one of a kind. It will fit you perfectly." She told me.

"But-"

"No excuses. Bella, you're a beautiful girl. Inside and out. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Edward will love you in this; his eyes will pop so far out of his sockets, they'll roll on the floor to say hello." Alice joked as she assured me, and then we both frowned as we imagined what she had just said. Then we burst out laughing. She held out the dress further for me. I took it reluctantly, still doubtful. As I accepted it, I could now see what she was wearing. She had got changed from the little black dress she was wearing before and was now gracing a wonderful long purple strapless satin gown, which swept the floor. It didn't have any diamonds like on the dress I was holding, but it was just as lovely. Now that I was really looking at her, I noticed a sparkling diamond clip in her hair. It gave her a side fringe that framed her face flawlessly and set off her small pretty features. She was literally stunning.

"Here. Go get changed in my room." Alice danced out of the way so I could enter.

"I'll be here. Edward's downstairs waiting for you. Dinner will be ready soon." She smiled excitedly, ushering me inside and closing the door. Alice's room, like the living room, was full of bright candles. Lovely baby pink ones sat on the floor along the walls. Unlike Edward's room, there was a huge king-sized four-poster bed in the centre of the room, covered with light pink silk and satin sheets with white pillows. The four posts had silky opaque white sheets hanging from them like curtains tied at a window, which brought a fairy tale feel to the room. The sheets were tied in place at the posts with thin gold rope. There was a large dressing table on the east side of the room. Behind the bed was a glass wall. I had come to expect one in most of the rooms, since it seemed to cover the entire back of the mansion. The stars in the darkening blue sky were sprinkled around the crescent moon. Time seemed to have flown by today. Too fast for my liking.

I carefully put on my dress, holding it very gently so as not to rip it by accident; it looked so fragile. As soon as I pulled up the straps and felt the dress flowing around my body, a strange feeling engulfed me. I almost felt like a different person. I was taken aback by how much a simple change of clothes could make one feel. It was an unfamiliar feeling. I didn't want to look in the mirror and see what I looked like. My insecurities suddenly rose to the surface. Unfortunately I had no choice in the matter; there was a large gilt-framed mirror behind me. It didn't seem normal for Alice to have such a huge mirror in her room. It seemed more like something that Rosalie would own. I took a deep breath. Very slowly, I turned to face the mirror. I scrutinised my reflection. My eyes automatically focused on the dress, which looked sleek and perfectly fitted for the shape of my body. I no longer looked like a straight line; the gown gave me subtle little curves in the right places. But I couldn't look at my face. I couldn't accept that it was really me that was wearing this. It looked like someone else, a stranger. The silk covered my legs but I could see my feet. That was when I saw a pair of silver peep-toe sandals below the mirror. They had thin straps, with small glass heels. They looked extremely delicate. Alice was already wearing shoes but I still didn't assume they were for me. I knew it was silly, but I started tiptoeing back to my pumps sitting beside my clothes. After two steps, Alice trilled through the door,

"Bella, put on the sandals now." He voice was kind but authoritative, and I knew I couldn't argue. With a sigh, I picked up the sandals and padded over to the bed. I slipped them on, securing the straps. I wiggled my toes and examined the overall look. They went well with my dress, I supposed. My hair was out, flowing down my shoulders and sweeping over my naked back, saving me from feeling over-exposed. It tickled a little. As I got up from the bed, I heard Alice sing through the door again.

"Don't forget the earrings and hair clips I got for you. They're on the dressing table."

I did as she said, the heels of my sandals clicking against the wooden floor. My dress waved against my legs. I felt taller, even though the heels were fairly low. The sandals were very comfortable to walk in. The earrings were diamond as I expected, considering my outfit, and they were long. I put them on, and they brushed my neck as I moved my head. I slid in the two hair clips, one on each side of my head. They swept my dark hair away from my face. My reflection in the dressing table mirror was staring me in the face. I saw that my cheeks were flushed with pink and my brown eyes were wide. My lips felt dry. But Alice had given me everything I could need; there was a strawberry lip balm on the table before me. My eyes were still wide when I caught my reflection again after using it. The thumping of my heart increased my breathing, and the aching nerves pulsed around my body with every beat. I tried to prolong my time by sitting down at the table, staring in a daze at the floor. My hands, unbelievably, were actually starting to shake. I folded my arms across my chest, ashamed. Thank goodness I was alone. After three deep breaths, I finally stood up. I hesitated before stepping toward the door. I felt like I was about to walk on stage when I had forgotten my lines. My hand paused on the door handle. I peeked outside, where Alice was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down. I couldn't see her face but she was tapping her foot impatiently. Suddenly she spun round and spotted me.

"Finally," she whispered very quietly, dancing toward me.

"No!" I whispered in a panic, my stomach lurching sickeningly. Why the thought of Edward downstairs scared me, I didn't know. But what if he laughed out loud and said I looked ridiculous? What if he looked at me and thought about how absurd my body appeared in this dress?

_It wouldn't be the first time he called you absurd…_ a cutting thought reminded me. But it _was_ true. He had said that once, a lifetime ago. But I knew it was just my insecurities talking. I pulled myself together as best I could.

"Come on Bella honey. Edward's waiting for you." Alice told me, trying to be soothing. But it had the opposite effect. As if telling me he was downstairs would calm me down. The thought alone made my heart do back-flips in my chest. Was this really nervousness or just pure cowardice? I wondered to myself. I opened the door a tiny bit more and glanced around. There was a single candle lighting the landing. I finally stepped outside, where Alice held out her hand. I held it tightly as I stepped closer to the stairs.

"You look amazing, Bella!" Alice complimented with a happy giggle.

"Thank you." I smiled with a deep blush. Edward's face was at the forefront of my mind and invading the rest of it rapidly.

"I'll walk you to the landing, but then I'll let you go – I want you in the spotlight." Alice muttered, walking ahead with my hand in hers. No! I didn't want to be in the spotlight at all. My heart was now punching my chest so hard I was finding it difficult to control my breathing. Alice towed me to the landing as promised, but then released me and stepped back. I glared over my shoulder at her, but she shook her head, grinning. I looked down the stairs. Edward was not in my line of sight; I breathed a sigh of relief. My hand shook uncontrollably as I lowered it to the banister. I took a deep breath and prepared to face my destiny.

**A/N: What do you think? Please leave your reviews, I need to know if this is any good or not lol! I am in the middle of writing the next chapter, so it should be up as soon as it's ready. But I really must stress that the more reviews I get, the more I am encouraged to write the next chapter faster! It's true. If you demand it, I will supply it! Lol, too much economics exam revision. *rolls eyes***

**Thanks a million to my readers and reviewers! I love the comments, you are all very supportive of the story. I do read every comment and appreciate every one. Any cool suggestions you may have for my story will be considered, just to let you know.**

**~Kell xxx**


	5. Moonstruck

My hand slid along the banister as I cautiously descended the staircase. My gown was trailing behind me, gliding down the steps. I knew I looked far from graceful as I gripped the banister with my life. Looking at the looming floor, I saw the backs of two smart black shoes. As I looked up I saw Edward's figure facing away from me, wearing a dark suit. I breathed a sigh of relief but regretted it almost immediately; his head snapped up. To my horror, Edward started to turn around. I paused. If I fell now… I cut the thought off at the root. Just imagining it made my legs shake. And then Edward faced me. But I looked at the floor, frozen in the middle of the stairs; my legs were immobile. I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from gasping. I heard a quiet intake of breath from Edward's direction. But he didn't say a word, and neither did I. Finally I moved my eyes to his face. His eyes were roaming down my dress appreciatively, drinking me in. Eventually our eyes met. No words passed between us as we continued to stare into each other's eyes. We stayed silent for moments on end. His lips were parted, his breath audible. They looked so soft…

Why was he so quiet? I started to worry, biting my lip. His eyebrows were slightly raised – surprise, perhaps? Shock? I frowned as I tried to read his expression; it felt like he was deliberately controlling it. I gave up and began making my way down the stairs again. By the time I reached the end, my hand was aching. Suddenly, Edward flashed a devastatingly brilliant smile at me. His face softened and his eyes went on fire as he tilted his head to one side. He held out his hand for me. When I slid my hand into his smooth palm, his lips turned up into his crooked smile. I smiled back, feeling warm inside. He leaned down to whisper in my ear,

"You kept me waiting, but I don't mind at all. You are much more than perfect, and completely worth it." He murmured. His cold breath tickled my face. Suddenly I could smell it; the scent hit me like a brick wall, deliciously indescribable and irresistible. An overwhelming urge for him to kiss me knocked me off my feet, disturbingly intense. I felt sick from the acute desire pulsing through my body. My legs seemed to sway; I needed to sit down. Granting my wish, he gently towed me to the table for two in the centre of the room. Then he paused. He turned to me. He lifted my hand towards his lips. As if to tease me, he pressed his lips to my hand and left them there for a long moment, looking up at me seductively from under his long black eyelashes. He kissed my hand repeatedly before releasing my hand slowly, as if he was reluctant to let me go. We sat down at the table. Edward's face glowed in the light of the candle. I wanted to drown in the depths of his dark eyes and never resurface. My hands rested on the table opposite Edward's folded hands.

We had only been sitting at the table for a few seconds when Alice flitted through with my food. She carefully placed my dinner and cutlery in front of me. She disappeared and returned in the same second with my drink. It looked like a cocktail, judging by the sunrise-coloured liquid. I took a sip, curious. The taste of summer fruits washed over my tongue. I knew it would taste great, but this was even better than I'd imagined. I took another sip before starting on my food. I felt rude eating when Edward had to sit here and not have anything himself. Obviously this was always going to happen, but I felt awkward all the same. An unexpected image entered my head: Edward, drinking at the table in front of me, the cup opaque so that I could not see the contents. My imagined scene then showed Edward quickly licking his lips before I saw what was on his mouth. I felt a sharp pain on my neck. I saw myself feeling a crescent shaped mark in a circular motion on the right side of my neck. I glanced up warily. Edward's eyes glowed burgundy before me…

I escaped my thoughts with a start, my fork clanging loudly against my plate. I quietly placed it down and my hand flew to the side of my neck. It was a reflex action. Then I realised what I was doing, and that I was evidently searing Edward with my actions; his eye were wary and wide, and his forehead was creased into a deep frown. Curiosity was present in his eyes underneath the apparent concern. Always curious.

"Bella, are you all right? What's the matter?" He demanded.

I told him the truth immediately, not wanting to hide anything from him.

"I imagined you…" I hesitated, "drinking my blood." I did not have a clue how he would react. I searched his eyes nervously. To my surprise, he smiled. Only a small smile, but it reached his eyes. He did not even seem surprised or angry. Then he shook his head and started laughing quietly to himself.

"What?" I asked, watching him intently.

"Bella, you actually told me what you were thinking! I expected you to change the subject or something, but you surprised me. How do you do it?" he chuckled, staring at me as he smiled. He was spellbound, leaning forward attentively. He was still laughing. I frowned, confounded by the intensity of his eyes.

"How do I do what?"

"Keep on surprising me." He answered, his face softening as he calmed down. But his eyes were still consumed with interest.

"I don't know. I'll take that as a compliment, shall I?" I raised my eyebrows.

"As you wish." His eyes then wandered across the room. He was seemingly slipping into deep thought. His eyes rested on a spot and narrowed slightly. I wondered what occupied his thoughts now. Suddenly, he snapped back to the present moment, eyes drifting to my abandoned plate of food. His expression alone told me to continue eating. The flavours spread over my tongue and left me wanting more. But I did not rush as I ate. I let my eyes rest on Edward once again, watching the stillness of his body and his changing expressions. He was looking away from me, I got the feeling he was deliberately doing this because I had pointed out his staring before. Suddenly Edward caught me staring at him. He watched me from the corner of his eye. At first his face was unreadable, then he smiled his crooked smile again. I actually felt myself going slightly cross-eyed as my sight became unfocussed. I blinked before glancing down, a wash of embarrassment flushing my cheeks. I felt so shy now that I couldn't even look at him.

"Hey," he murmured; he was suddenly beside my chair, looking down at me. He took my hand and gently lifted me to my feet. Then he pulled me to a free space in the large candlelit room. His other hand slid to my lower back and drew me toward him, so that our bodies were comfortably pressed together. Shivers went up and down my spine; Edward's hand was resting on the skin of my back. The dress hung just below his hand.

The icy warmth emanating from him burned my skin and butterflies fluttered deep in the pit of my stomach. My gaze, resting on Edward's neck, travelled up to his eyes. They scorched down into mine. Edward held me tighter and started swaying even though there was no music. But that did not matter. My body was on fire. Edward's hand that held mine released me. It moved to my cheek while his other hand stayed firmly placed on my back. His skin cooled and warmed my cheek simultaneously, while his eyes locked with mine. His heavenly face lowered to my cheek and kissed it ever so softly, like a butterfly's wings were fluttering against my face. His lips were softer than a feather. Then his lips moved to my forehead and pressed against my skin. I sighed. Then he slid his lips to my other cheek and kissed me there. When he moved his lips to my neck, my heart leaped in my chest and my hand moved to the back of Edward's head. I grabbed his hair tightly, closing my eyes. But this kiss wasn't like the others. He put a lot of pressure on my neck; my breathing accelerated. He pressed even harder. And harder. Just when I thought I would spontaneously combust, he lifted his lips away from me. My head dropped onto his shoulder as I gasped for air. To my surprise, I heard him gasping too.

Edward's hand moved up and down my back very slowly. His touch was driving me crazy. Then he lifted up my chin with his other hand and moved it to my hair, lowering his face back down to my neck. He softly swept my hair out of the way with his lips as he kissed me again. He was very gentle now, contrasting with how he had done it before. He brushed his lips on several places on my neck over and over again. My heart was doing mad somersaults as my stomach lurched.

My eyes remained closed as the fluttering in the pit of my stomach intensified. I tilted my head back, letting Edward create fireworks between us. I felt the tip of his nose stroking my neck as he moved his cold lips against my warm skin. I wanted him to kiss me on the lips now more than anything I'd ever wanted in my whole life. But he continued to tease me. He had to know what he was doing to me. He pulled back for a moment, and as he leaned toward me again, I saw that his eyes were closed. But this time I got in first. I kissed his eyelids, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. Then I kissed his cheek before resting my chin on his shoulder. In response, Edward rested his chin on my shoulder too. I heard him breathe a deep sigh, and felt his body moving with his rapid breathing. My body was buzzing and throbbing; I'd never felt more alive in my life. My heart pumped hot blood through my veins fast and hard.

"Tell me…" Edward breathed in my ear, and he was so close I could feel his hair brushing my skin. I knew exactly what he was referring to… and I was not sure I would be strong enough to resist this time. He had me in the palm of his hand, wrapped inextricably round his little finger.  
"I can't remember, Edward. Forgive me for reminding you about this, but I should tell you. Dreams do not tend to stay in the memory long enough to remember the details." I informed him matter-of-factly.

"But that's just it. You do remember; I know you do." And with that he pulled back so he could look at me. We were suddenly very still. His eyes were dark and intent, searching mine. His lips opened again.

"I can see it in your eyes. Please tell me. I can't take the curiosity any longer." The urgency of his request brought an ache to his tone.

"Uh, you brought up the subject less than a day ago. Don't you think that's a little impatient?" I raised one eyebrow. Edward half-smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.

"Hmm. Yes. But I deserve some credit for waiting this long, surely?"

"In your case, yes. But it doesn't mean you're going to get your way." I laughed, shaking my head. I wondered if he would give up eventually or proceed to bring up the subject at specific intervals like this for days. Edward sighed heavily, drawing it out for several seconds. I pulled away from his arms very gently and stepped back, and Edward frowned slightly as if he was confused.

"It's late. How about we just let this go and head upstairs, all right? I'm tired." That last part was a lie. But I had to distract him somehow, and the atmosphere was getting too tense.

"As you wish." He agreed. However, he was very reluctant – his body seemed stiff as marble as he scooped me up into his arms and whisked me up the stairs. He let me down as soon as we reached the door of Alice and Jasper's room. I opened it for us and Edward followed as we entered the candlelit bedroom. The sound of Edward closing the door behind us was unnerving. It seemed too final. Then he turned to face me, face relaxed but expressionless. What was he thinking?

He stayed absolutely still, yet continued to stare at me. I could see a battle raging in his dark eyes, and I could see that he was trying so hard to hide it. Awkwardness seeped into the atmosphere; how long was he going to stand there like that? Suddenly he spoke, making me jump.

"What would you like to do now?" With that, his lips smoothly tilted into a seductive, small version of my favourite crooked smile once again. My words stuck in my throat.

"Bella?" He asked, his smile fading. It was replaced with a frown of concern.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled, turning away as my face became very hot. I sat down on the large bed and took off my sandals for an excuse to avoid his gaze.

I gasped as Edward suddenly appeared in front of me, taking my hands and easing me to my feet before quickly letting me go and taking two steps back.

"I'd like to see your face properly," He laughed, his mood changing again.

"Sorry," I muttered again, as if that was the only word left in my vocabulary.

"What are you sorry for?" He whispered, and his hand started to move towards me before he moved it back to his side. He spoke again before I could answer. His eyes seemed to melt into warm liquid topaz.

"You are so beautiful, Bella. The colour you're wearing against your skin is indescribable." He shook his head slowly in emphasis, gazing at my outfit. If he was deliberately trying to turn me into the most beetroot-faced person on the planet it was working brilliantly. But the flattery of his honeyed words made my heart burst with happiness. Only now did I believe Alice's earlier words. She must have known how much Edward liked this shade of blue on me. He had complimented me on it so many times before that I had lost count, but I felt just as immensely gratified every time. I thought idly that I could go shopping with Alice and get some more clothes of this colour.

"You give too many compliments." I laughed for a moment. "But thank you." I said sincerely.

"No. I don't give nearly enough." Edward disagreed in a soft breath. His face was serious again. He did not move any closer to me. We had been so close to each other downstairs, and now he would not even touch me…

"Come sit with me." I suggested, gesturing for him to join me as I nervously sat on the edge of the bed. Edward obeyed after a second and sat beside me slowly. But he was not as close to me as I would have liked. I wasn't sure, but he seemed nervous too as we faced each other on the bed; he was breathing faster and his frame was rigid. His dark gold eyes looked deeply into mine, like he was waiting for me to say something. His lips parted, and I could now smell his sweet breath as it washed over me. My heart suddenly began punching my chest aggressively, so much so that I could feel my body slightly shaking with the force, but for once I allowed myself to enjoy the sensation.

In my peripheral vision I saw Edward's hand twitch sharply. I glanced down at his hand before meeting his gaze once again. I listened carefully to the sound of his breathing; it was the most wonderful sound in the world. I could feel my body pulse in response, staring into his unrelenting eyes. But his body seemed so far away…

"Put your hands on me, Edward."

He slid his right hand very slowly to my waist, moving his body smoothly closer to me as he did so. My heart skipped a beat… his leg was now touching mine. His left hand rested on mine before he skimmed his fingers steadily up my arm, raising goose bumps in his path. His fingers glided up my neck, and then he rested one finger on my lips. I stopped breathing. In the blink of an eye his finger had left my lips. His right hand remained on my waist, creating violent butterflies in my stomach at the sensation of his touch.

A flash of heat shuddered through my body and reverberated up and down my arms. His left hand then moved to my heart. It exploded from my chest and I heard a low moan from deep inside Edward's body. Suddenly he jerked my waist toward him and crushed his lips against mine. He welded his body to me as he moved his lips passionately with mine. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. My arms wrapped around his neck and held him so tightly it would be impossible to separate us. Flames spread over my body, burning every crevice, every fabric, every fibre of my being.

Edward's arms were bound around me, and he kissed me as if he would never get the chance ever again. I was so engrossed I found myself rising to my knees, still kissing him with all the strength and urgency I had. My hands slid to his face and clutched it for dear life. I could feel Edward stand up, his hands on my waist, his lips pulsing against mine forcefully. I then placed a hand on his arm and tried unsuccessfully to pull him to the bed.

Our lips disconnected for a moment as he quickly glanced at my hand on his arm. I moved backwards on the bed and pulled his arm again. We reconnected, and this time he moved forward and knelt on the bed with me as we kissed. I tugged his arm again, harder this time as I began lying back on the bed, pulling him with me so he was lying on top of me. However he did not put his full body weight on me; he supported himself with one arm. His other hand was now on my neck, holding my face securely to his. The feel of his body pressed against mine felt so perfect, so right, I never wanted him to leave. I pulled back to look at his face, stroking his cheek. Edward's eyes were wide, and he raised a hand to brush the hair out of my eyes before kissing my forehead twice, sounding a little out of breath. He rested his head on my chest. I stroked his silky hair softly, closing my eyes as I caught my breath.

It was very quiet outside; all I could hear was the sound of our breathing. Suddenly a loud howl erupted from the forests beyond. I gasped, and Edward's head snapped up from my chest. I regarded him. It sounded so _close _– like it was coming from right outside the mansion. A pucker appeared between Edward's eyebrows and I was suddenly alone on the bed. He peered through the glass wall, to the ground below. I sat up, watching him carefully. He ran a hand through his hair, narrowing his eyes as he turned away from the glass. He stared straight ahead, his lips tightening as he thought.

"There was a wolf outside just now." He murmured slowly, enunciating each syllable clearly.

"You saw it?" I blurted, shock spreading over my face.

"No. But I heard it. It ran off as soon as I left the bed." Edward sounded very frustrated with that fact, still avoiding my gaze.

"What's the matter?" I whispered.

"It's not safe outside right now, Bella." Edward informed me, before relaxing his face with a sigh. I wasn't sure what to say to that. Edward's head snapped back to me.

"Are you ready to go to sleep? I'm sorry – you must be tired and I'm keeping you awake."

"Not quite yet, but I'll get changed anyway. Do you know where Alice put my pyjamas?" I asked, looking around me for any sign of them.

"I'll get them." He said, and placed my folded pyjamas into my arms in the blink of an eye.

"You know, I am capable of getting things myself, Edward." I pointed out as I stood up.

"Ah, you shouldn't be so sure. It would take you at least ten seconds to get to the dresser and back." Edward smirked.

"And is it really that long to wait?" I challenged.

"Of course." He said simply, turning back to the glass wall.

I left my dress neatly folded on the dressing table chair. I felt so much more relaxed once I was out of it, even though it was a glorious gown to wear. I cleaned my teeth and then found Edward was still standing in the same place. I caught sight of my haystack hair in the mirror, but didn't bother combing it pointlessly only to mess it up again when I slept. I padded back to bed and climbed in, sitting up with the covers tucked around me.

Edward finally turned back to me and approached the bed. Before I knew it he was beside me, lying on top of the covers. He took my hand and held it in his as he softly brushed his fingers against the back of my hand. Closing my eyes, I gradually slipped into unconsciousness.

I jolted awake, eyes snapping open to inky darkness. I felt around me, not sure what I was searching for. But I had this eerie feeling I was completely alone. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, my feet automatically found their way to the floor. Glancing towards the direction of dim light, I noticed there was no moon in the night sky. I stepped cautiously towards what I assumed was the door, and felt around blindly for the handle. After two tries I finally exited the bedroom, the door clicking shut behind me. In the distance I heard a low hum sound, faintly echoing from downstairs like a muted conversation. My hands fumbled to the banister and I went all the way to the ground floor. My feet felt cold as they brushed over the floor. A dark silhouette sat behind the grand piano. I stood absolutely still. My eyes zeroed in on the figure. The first thought that entered my head was predictable. It told me the obvious answer. The third thought told me something that made my heart stop in its tracks. But my second thought told me all I needed to know.


	6. Dangerous Flirtations

The figure at the piano was not Edward. In fact, it was not any of the Cullen family.

I could feel Edward in my head telling me to go back, to get back into the bedroom and not advance any further. But he was not here. All I could hear was my own breathing and my heart pumping in my ears. I wanted to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. What was the right thing to do? Try to convince myself it was a dream? Or stay calm and face this stranger?

But it was too late; the dark figure vanished in the blink of an eye. I jumped violently with a sharp gasp at the empty space left behind. I should have told myself that I was crazy, but I knew what I saw. I stepped backwards and collapsed on the stairs behind me. Sitting up, I held my knees to my chest and closed my eyes, trying to think of a logical explanation for what had just happened. The fact that Edward had left me here by myself was not a problem. The problem was how I would tell him what I saw without sounding like I had completely lost my mind. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body as I thought, and could no longer sit still.

Against my better judgement, I jumped up and streaked upstairs, put on my clothes and rushed back down, my boots clomping as I went. I zipped up my jacket, lifted my hood and slipped through the front door, shutting it behind me. The wind was mild but cold, and the blood rushed to my cheeks at the change in temperature. I shoved my hands in my pockets and descended the porch, veering towards the trees on the left side of the mansion. I was not sure where I was headed; I just needed to get out and clear my head. Maybe I was hoping I would find Edward here. But all I knew was that I could still feel the adrenaline inside me, forcing me to keep walking. I ducked under a large branch at the entrance of the trees and entered the black forest. This is stupid… a voice in my head reminded me. But of course, I did not listen. I had to keep going. After a minute or so, I heard the sound of water flowing nearby, like a small river. I ducked quickly through the dense trees. A glint among the neighbouring trees caught my eye, and soon I was standing beside a narrow lake, flowing steadily and soothingly, the only thing that made a sound in this otherwise silent wood. I thought idly what a perfect place to escape to when life became too much. I was sure I was not the only one who thought this. I sat cross-legged on the ground now, just watching the water rippling.

"Bella!"

My head swivelled round. I knew whom that voice belonged to.

"Bella. What on earth are you doing here?"

"I just-"

"You just what? Tried to scare the hell of me?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Alice's eyes flashed even in the dim light of the forest. She stood less than five feet away. As she walked closer, I could a see small smirk on her face. Her anger had perceptibly vanished as quickly as it had come. I would be able to sense her abrupt high spirits from a mile away.

"You sure do know how to keep us on our feet, Bella. I give you that. I'm sorry for shouting at you. But I'm sure you can understand why I reacted like that."

"Of course. It's my fault. I shouldn't have walked out like that, but… I can't really explain why. I had to get out the house."

"I know the feeling. But I've found you now. As long as you're safe, it's fine for you to go wandering off by yourself. But at this time of night…"

"What time is it?" I blurted unthinkingly, inadvertently cutting her off.

"Half-three in the morning. But Bella… something happened to you at the house didn't it?"

"Y-Yes." I stuttered. How was I going to say this to her?

"I know. That's why I went looking for you. I thought maybe you ran away because you were scared but… you seem calm." Alice sat down beside me, looking out onto the water. She seemed like she was going to say something more, so I waited patiently.

"Edward doesn't know we're here." She murmured. I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again. Instead I simply nodded.

"He's hunting, as you've probably guessed. You were supposed to be asleep after all." Alice raised her eyebrows at me disapprovingly. I bit my lip.

"Are you going to tell him?" I whispered.

"Only if that's what you want. We don't have to tell him everything you do." Alice smiled. I gave a small smile back, and then sighed.

"There was somebody in the house, and I do know who it was."

My head snapped up. "Who was it?"

"This one's for me to know and for you to not find out. It's best if we keep this one under wraps for now, OK? You don't need to stress over this." Alice said in a tone that hindered me from pushing further.

"Edward heard something while we were in the house earlier..." I glanced at her, wondering if she already knew.

"Oh, yes. I heard it too. But I didn't see anything though, which was strange. Did Edward-"

"He didn't see it, no. All he knows is that it was... a wolf. But it was so close, like it was right outside the house." My eyes drifted around me, and it dawned on me just how dangerous these woods could be, and why Alice had reacted the way she did when she saw me here.

"Let's get you inside. You must be freezing." Alice took my hands, eased me to my feet and carried me back to the mansion. I slid to my feet as we reached the porch, my feet shuffling in the damp grass. Alice swung open the front door. Light flashed into the white room for us to see Edward standing at the top of the stairs.

My eyes flicked between the two vampires, sensing a rapid exchange of information between their minds. Finally Edward looked at me, eyes now a fresh shade of gold after his hunt. I knew Alice wouldn't have told him what really happened just now, but I trusted that she knew the best way to handle him. They were brother and sister after all. I found myself making my way upstairs to Alice and Jasper's room again, walking straight past Edward. I felt a little guilty about not telling him the truth, but I just told myself it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. When I pushed the door open, a rush of warmth swept over me from the candles still burning around me. I quickly undressed and put my nightclothes back on, finding myself rushing into bed. I pulled the covers over my head, enjoying the darkness for a few seconds before I got so hot I pushed the covers away from me again. As I let my mind quieten down, I suddenly remembered the upcoming holiday to L.A. So much had happened, I didn't realise how soon it would be before we would be going. I decided I would start packing tomorrow, or I would never get round to it. We were already at the end of July.

When I woke up, Edward was gone. I got up groggily, shuffling downstairs as my stomach growled. I absent-mindedly combed through my hair with my fingers as I went down the stairs, thinking of last night. The constant mysteries, constant changes that happened with these vampires in my life. It never stopped, did it? But I knew I had no problem with that, really. In the back of my mind I still wanted to know who was at the piano. I was fairly sure there was no way Alice would give in and tell me anytime soon.

I'd had dreams of the piano with ever-changing figures sitting in front of it, all vampires. They'd all had golden eyes, but they were definitely not from the Cullen family. I reached the kitchen.

Edward was leaning against the counter, having already made me breakfast. He tilted his lips up into a cheeky half-smile.

"Morning." he said, eyeing my messy hair. He looked like he was about to crack up.

"Don't laugh," I said, pouting at him teasingly. This was when I looked my worst, and I knew it. But I was used to being around him like this.

"I'm not laughing. But I must say, you look a picture. I'm liking the haystack hair." He said, flashing me his crooked smile. I rolled my eyes.

"I made you breakfast." said Edward, using his head to gesture to the freshly made food.

"Thanks, I'm starving."

"Me too, but I wouldn't want to eat that in particular, I must say."

I gasped for dramatic effect, slapping my hand to my chest.

"Oh Edward, you're not going to eat me are you? I'll haunt you forever if you do," I teased with a smile.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm… haunting me doesn't sound so bad. I'd like that." He smirked.

"Well, I'm hungry so stop tempting me already, I'm dying of starvation." I said, reaching up and brushing my thumb against his lips. He kissed it gently.

I sat down with my food, eating immediately. Edward sat opposite me, staring at my plate of food.

"I'm going to start packing today, maybe you can help me and speed it up a little bit," I said once I was done.

"Good, because it would be positively excruciating watching you do it at human speed. Sometimes I wonder how you all get through every day so slow." Edward teased, twirling a lock of my hair round his finger.

"You were human once," I reminded him. He stayed quiet. Instead he got up and leaned down to kiss me.

"Uh-uh, today is strictly business," I said, smiling as I leaned away and got up. Edward took my hand, pulling me toward him. I gently pushed his chest away, just about resisting. I could feel my body yearning for him, but I controlled it.

"Sorry, you're going to have to wait. A girl's got to look her best for that,"

"Oh, but I can't wait any longer…" Edward persisted, tilting up my chin. I backed away, a small smile on my face. I turned quickly and walked back upstairs to get ready. After I was washed and dressed, I went back downstairs. I stood and waited for him. I felt a touch on my shoulder, and I jumped violently. He'd crept up on me.

"I'll get you later, vamp," I scolded him lightly.

"I'm counting on that." Edward grinned. I gave him a reproachful look. He knew I wasn't serious. I had no follow-through.

Edward carried me on his back, the wind flush against my cheeks, the journey was over in a few seconds. I felt acutely refreshed and very awake once we'd arrived back at Charlie's. Edward got out my suitcase right away, and I threw my clothes out on my bed. I sighed, having no idea where to start. Where was Alice when you needed her?

Edward was too much of a gentleman to comment on certain aspects of my wardrobe. Instead he politely held dresses out for me to ponder over with a calm expression on his face. It was quiet, and I could even hear the birds tweeting outside my window.

But, we got there, and after I finally decided what I wanted, Edward neatly and speedily placed my clothes into my suitcase. Finally it was zipped and ready to go.

I collapsed onto my bed afterwards. After a moment, I could feel shivers as I realised Edward was leaning over me, pressing his body on mine without letting his weight fall on me. He supported himself with his elbows.

"You're getting good. I must be losing my scent," I whispered, looking into his eyes. His face was inches from mine.

"No. In fact it's stronger than ever. I just can't help myself," Edward murmured.

"Am I allowed to kiss you now?" he breathed, eyes gazing into mine.

"Can I really say no? You'll only do it anyway," I smiled.

"Mmm. You might be right." He said, but he stayed put. His lips curved up into a half-smile, and my heart started thumping. I knew he would feel it. But it was me who gave in. I sighed and grabbed his face, yanking it down to mine. I kissed him hard. His fingers tangled into my hair, and my body went on fire. I moved a hand to his hair, grabbing it hard. He moaned. I kissed his cheek, his eyelids. His lips grazed my neck. Just as our breathing was getting very, very loud, I stopped. I pushed Edward's chest, and he immediately shifted to my side, next to me. We looked at each other. We'd both heard the noise. It had come from downstairs. Charlie. He was home. I suppressed a giggle, closing my eyes in relief. For a second, I thought he'd been outside my room. Edward laughed a little too loud in response, and I pressed a hand to his mouth, chuckling as I straddled him. He kissed my hand, laughing quieter this time. His laugh was so infectious, so loud. It was a wonder the whole town didn't hear him.

"He'll hear you!" I whispered.

"He won't. I know what he's thinking, remember? He's distracted."

"Hmm, distracted. So you say."

"What, you think I'd lie and let him see us like this?" he said with his crooked smile.

"I wouldn't put it past you, given your current mood. But don't worry, I like it. It's exciting."

"Mm. I agree." Edward's voice rumbled quietly. His voice was low and husky. It felt incredible, flirting and being so close. It was a real testament to how far we had come. How far he had come. He must be getting used to my scent. I felt completely safe with him, and I knew, in my whole being, that I had nothing to worry about. If I were to die at his hand, at least it would be while I was deliriously happy. And there were a lot worse ways to go, in my mind. But that didn't matter. Edward was completely fine.

"Don't kill me on the sly, will you?" I said, giving him a mock questioning look.

"Never." he said, face turning more serious as he stroked my hair gently. I got up, peeking outside my door to check the coast was clear. Charlie must not have any idea I was here.

I felt Edward's arms slide round my waist. But his lips tickled my neck, and I laughed a little too loudly. My hand slapped over my mouth.

Charlie had heard me, I was certain of it now. I pushed Edward away from me, hearing him walk towards the stairs. Oh no.

"Shh. I'll hide." He whispered, slipping inside my wardrobe just as Charlie started making his way upstairs. I opened my door again just before he arrived at my door. He froze for a second as he registered that I was there. He looked relieved.

"Oh. You are here."

"Who else would it be?" I smiled, closing my door behind me and standing there so he wouldn't go in. He sniffed, looking at me.

"What's that smell? It's kinda… good."

"Uh… new perfume. From Alice," I lied. The smell was without a doubt Edward's sweet scent. I was clearly reeking of it now. I liked it. It reminded me he was here, and how close we were now.

"I'll make you some food. Let's head downstairs," I suggested. He nodded. We reached the kitchen and I opened the fridge.

There was a thump from upstairs. And loud. Charlie immediately looked up, frowning. He was up and out of his seat before I knew it.

"No… Dad don't…" But he was headed for the stairs, and there was no way for me to stop him.


	7. Vacation

Charlie bounded upstairs to my room. When he opened my door, I held my breath. To my relief, my room was empty. My suitcase was lying conspicuously on its side, as if to look like it had fallen over. Edward's doing. I wondered if Charlie would buy it.

"No-one's here, Dad. See?" I said, smiling innocently.

"Hmph." He looked around the room, before impulsively opening my wardrobe. My eyes widened.

Nothing.

Edward escaped through my window. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Well, that was weird. Must have been your suitcase. You all ready to go, then?"

"Yeah, just about."

"A little early, aren't you? When are you leaving again?"

"The 12th. Just wanted to be organised," I said.

"Dad, there's something I need to tell you…" I began. I felt nervous.

"Something wrong, Bells?" Charlie said, looking concerned.

"Uh… just that… I invited Edward to come with us."

He surprised me by laughing.

"Bella, you really thought I hadn't figured it out? I knew you would bring him. You always were stubborn, even though I suggested you invite Jacob."

"Really? You're OK with it?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, I don't know if I'm OK with it, but there's nothing much I can do, I mean it's all booked, right?"

"Yeah, it is. Thanks, Dad. It's not just us anyway. Jessica and Mike are coming too. And her dad," I added. But I knew I'd won him round.

"Just make sure he takes care of you out there. How long's it for anyway? Remind me,"

"One week." I answered.

"Good. Well, I'm out."

He clicked my door shut before I could say anything more.

I sat on my bed, and before I knew it, Edward had slid back through my window. He joined me, sitting quietly beside me.

"That was close," I said with a weak smile.

"Don't worry. At least he's all right with everything." said Edward.

I nodded, leaning my head against his shoulder. After a moment, he rested his head on mine.

"How would you like me to take you somewhere, to make you feel better?" Edward whispered into my hair. I looked up at him, my mouth curving into a smile. That would be perfect. Edward stood, I attached myself to his back, held tight, and we safely went through my window and out into the open air.

Time was immeasurable as he sprinted through the blur of trees and moss. Eventually we gradually slowed, and before I knew it, Edward was walking at a human speed, me still on his back. We were in a small green meadow surrounded by moss-covered trees and as I looked up, there were beautiful blossoms embedded in the dark leaves. The scent of lavender breezed softly around us. I inhaled slowly, taking it in. I'd never been in _this _meadow before. I carefully disentangled my arms and slid off his back. I looked up at Edward. He stood with his eyes closed, head leaning back, facing the sky. His marble skin shimmered faintly; the sun had not quite escaped the heavy clouds. I stared, mesmerized, heart beating faster. How I would love to see his magnificent skin sparkling again…

Edward was absolutely still. I couldn't take my eyes from his face. His tousled bronze hair rustled silently in the light breeze and it shimmered like his skin. I waited, closing my eyes against the light from the sky, matching Edward. I felt a smooth cold touch on my hand and I turned my own hand in response, searching for his hold. Edward closed his hand around mine and caressed it in gentle circles with his thumb. It sent wondrous excited shivers through my body, and I was tingling on every inch of my skin.

And then I felt seeping, subtle warmth spread over my face. The light behind my eyelids brightened, and I opened my eyes to see Edward standing in front of me, sparkling like diamonds with his perfect lips curved into a half-smile.

"Hi," Edward whispered. His breath drew my face to his. My lips only brushed his before he stepped back, took my face in his hands and stared straight into my eyes. Slowly, Edward moved his head towards mine, his eyes gazing into my soul. And then he pressed his lips to mine. The day spiralled into a long, perfect feeling of bliss. And I wanted nothing more than to run away with him right now.

That night, with Edward beside me, I had dreams of shimmering meadows and bright cloudless blue skies. I dreamt of walking hand in hand with him along the beach, a sparkling turquoise sea beside us. It felt so real I was lost in that world.

The more I wished the next couple of weeks away so I could finally go away to LA with him, the longer they seemed to take. Eventually, it was the day. I felt excitement bubbling inside me as Edward placed my suitcase in the downstairs hallway ready to go. I'd given him his plane ticket, and left mine on the little hallway table nearby.

As Billy was round visiting Charlie, I was now at the Cullen's' house, while Edward packed his last things. Alice and Jasper were about to go hunting and spend the rest of the day together, and I gave her a warm hug before they headed off.

When we were done, Edward and I went back to Charlie's. I hoped Billy wasn't putting thoughts in his head about me, so I was a little nervous. I took Edward to my room, to avoid him. I just couldn't face him.

Mike and Jess were going to be arriving soon. After what felt like forever, the doorbell finally rang. I rushed downstairs to let them in.

There they were, Jess's dad waiting in the car. It was large enough for all of us to ride together.

"Your ticket's in your suitcase, Bells." Charlie told me as we prepared to leave.

"Thanks Dad,"

"You take care of yourselves, and I'll see you in a week."

"Will do. Bye Dad," I said, giving him a big hug. He patted my back awkwardly.

"All right, off you go. Enjoy yourself," he said, letting me go.

"Let's go guys," said Jess, waving us over to the car.

Soon enough, we were all seated and belted in the car. The journey to the airport went quickly, as we were all chatting away to pass the time. Jessica sure could talk for England. It was nice, though. She kept things fun and I was beginning to really look forward to what was ahead.

Everything went smoothly until it was time to show our tickets. Edward had his, but I couldn't find mine. I started to panic. But Charlie had told me he put it in my suitcase. Unless… somebody had removed it. Oh no. Desperate, I had to look in all the little compartments. No sign.

By this time, Edward was on the phone to Alice, asking if she'd seen anything in her vision. The others gave each other concerned glances as I looked for my ticket.

After Edward got off the phone, he immediately offered me his ticket.

"Here, have mine." He said, holding it out.

"No, Edward. I don't understand, Charlie said he'd put it in there."

"Can't we buy another ticket?" asked Jess.

"The flight leaves in less than two hours, it's too late," I muttered, still searching.

"Alice is on her way. She's got your ticket."

"But how…" I began.

"Long story. I'll explain later." Edward said, shaking his head quickly. I nodded slowly, calming down. Alice was coming. Then who'd taken out my ticket. Dad had been OK with me going, hadn't he? I decided he would never lie about something like this, let me go all the way down here and go through all this trouble. He wouldn't do that. He'd just forbid me from going in the first place. We had to leave our place in the queue as we waited for Alice to arrive.

When she did, I couldn't have been happier to see her. Her eyes were black. She hadn't had time to hunt. Jasper was behind her.

"Alice, you're a life-saver, thank you!" I said, hugging her after she'd handed me the ticket. Before I could open my mouth to ask her what happened, she cut in.

"I'll call you guys later, OK? Just make sure you catch your flight. Hurry!"

After queuing up at check in again, we rushed through security, and then we had to wait to be called. When we finally were on the plane, I had a pretty good idea who had been behind this. Billy Black. He was the only other person there who would have done something like this. He must have taken my ticket. I had to take several deep breaths to get through my anger. How could he? How dare he interfere? He had no right.

When we landed, I was a lot calmer, but still upset about what I suspected Billy Black had done. But as soon as the sun hit my face, my mood immediately lifted. It almost felt like I was back in Phoenix. As for Edward, he had a dark cap on which left a dark shadow over his face, hand in his pockets, a jacket that covered his arms and sunglasses. I was afraid of anyone noticing his skin sparkling in the sun. But he had it covered. Jess, her dad, and Mike were walking a couple of steps ahead, busy talking. Their attention was away, so I relaxed. Once we entered the airport, Edward still did not remove his jacket. Just to be sure. But Mike noticed his excess insulation

"Aren't you hot? You must be boiling wrapped up in there," he said to Edward, looking him up and down, trying to look jokey. But he still seemed slightly annoyed Edward was with us.

"I'm fine, thank you," Edward answered with a smile. Anyone else would have looked ridiculous, but he looked cool. I didn't know how he got away with it.

It was a little bit of a journey to the hotel, taking at least an hour. But it was worth the wait. A lovely white modern-looking hotel surrounded by palm trees. Our room was large, the walls a creamy colour, with a wide window framed by soft sky blue curtains. Our double bed looked so warm and cosy I felt like snuggling up right now. We had a small television in the corner, and an en suite.

Once we unpacked, we headed for the beach and all grabbed deckchairs. All of us except Edward of course. I saved a deckchair for him anyway, putting a towel on it. I wanted it to look like he'd be out soon, even though I knew he wouldn't in this sun. His excuse was that he was tired because he had no sleep on the plane, and wanted a nap. Jess' dad read a book, chilling out on the other side of Jess. I wondered what excuse Edward would use next time, and if he would come to the beach at all. But we were still there at sunset, and that's when I heard footsteps approaching behind us. I guess he'd deemed it dim enough for him not to sparkle. My heart warmed up at the sight of him.

"Oh, Edward, you're here. Was beginning to think you'd run out on us," said Mike, trying to sound light-hearted but only just getting away with it.

"Well, I can't stay indoors forever, can I?" Edward said with a smile, not at all bothered about what Mike had to say. Jess turned her head up to Edward, lying back on her deckchair, sunglasses still on.

"Oh, hey. It's like midnight now, you know," Jess said.

"It's still pretty warm guys," I said, reclining on my chair.

"You going to run away at dinner, too, Cullen?" Mike joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in his voice.

Edward was as cool as a cucumber.

"Course not. I'll be there, don't worry." he said to Mike.

I looked between the two of them, smirking. For all I knew, Edward was seething with anger. He was so good at covering his emotions, that I imagined him taming an internal volcano at Mike's not-so-subtle insults. It was entertainment for me. It was better than television. Edward held my hand inconspicuously, the two of us lying side by side.

I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel room. Where we would be alone again.

"So, Edward, do you go to the same school as the others? I haven't seen you around before," asked Jess' dad as we sat at dinner later on at the hotel.

"Yes, I do. My family try not to be ostentatious. We keep a pretty low profile." said Edward.

"You don't strike me as shy," said Jess' dad, chuckling as he ate his food.

"No, I'm not shy." Edward said. That was the only answer he was going to give. I tried to hide my smile, disguising it by eating another mouthful of food. I remembered hen Edward used to give me short answers like that, and I used to let him know I wasn't going to accept those as answers.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Jess' dad went on, not at all put out.

"Quite a while now," I answered.

Everyone's eyes were on me now. I distracted myself by focusing on my meal. To my relief the conversation veered away from us and onto something more casual. I watched Edward as he ate, knowing he would have to bring the food back up later. I felt a little bad for him, having to put up the pretence. But I guess he had to do much worse things than this, being a vampire and everything. This would be me when I finally turned. I wanted Edward to be the one to do it. I just had to somehow persuade him. I didn't have much time left if I still wanted to be close to his age when I became like him. I was turning eighteen in less than a month.

That night, finally in our hotel room all by ourselves, Edward told me what happened with my ticket. We sat on the blue silken double bed.

"Alice had a vision. She saw Billy remove your ticket from your suitcase. When Jacob came to drive him home, Billy hid it in the truck. Alice retrieved it once they'd arrived home."

"What I don't understand is why you didn't hear his thoughts. What happened? Were you distracted?" I asked, confused.

"Too busy trying to ignore Jessica's mind-talk. She was incredibly difficult to tune out. Not to mention Mike Newton. I also think Billy's move was impulsive; he didn't plan it in advance. He must have seen your father putting your ticket in your suitcase and decided then. I should have been listening harder. It's partly my fault. But we're here now, so that plan failed. Thanks to Alice."

Alice really was amazing.

"I just don't know what to do about this. Why is he so against this whole thing? We're not hurting anyone,"

"That's just it. He's worried about you being the one to get hurt."

"But shouldn't it be my choice? What I decide to do? It's not up to him to dictate my life," I said, my heart beating faster in frustration. Billy was out of line. Way out of line.

"I need some air," I said, getting up to leave the room. Edward got up too.

"How about we head off to the beach? It's night; not many people will be out," he suggested gently.

I smiled and nodded in response. No-one would spot us, it was very dark now. He took my hand and we walked down to the seaside, strolling hand-in hand by the water as it swished and swirled gently beside us. He kissed the top of my head. It felt like we were the only people in the world.

Edward hummed my lullaby as I drifted off that night, his hand very gently stroking my hair. I fell asleep in his arms.

The next day, we all walked along the main city streets, looking through the shops. Jess was trying on dresses and she persuaded me to try some myself. She bought a silk red number, and I decided to go for a midnight blue dress. I hadn't bought anything for myself in a while, so I thought of it as a nice treat. Of course, Edward tried to get me to let him pay, but I insisted I buy it myself. On the way back to the hotel I was peeking at it through the shopping bag. I was looking forward to wearing it. It was silken like Jessica's, but it was otherwise different to hers. I could sense Edward looking at it too. This shade of blue was his favourite colour on me.

We spent the majority of the rest of the week on the beach, Edward hiding out during the sunny hours and coming out at sunset with his cap and shades – I decided to stay with him for most of those times to prevent too much suspicion from the others. If they knew I was with him, it would be more convincing showing that we went somewhere together. Besides, if they did get suspicious, what would they conclude, really? They certainly would be way off if they guessed. If I gave Mike three guesses why Edward was avoiding the sun, I was sure he wouldn't exactly say "Vampire." Even if he did, he wouldn't be serious. But he did interrogate Edward, though. I overheard Mike talking to him one morning before breakfast while I was getting dressed. They were outside my hotel room, and Mike caught him as he was about to return to my room.

"Cullen, what's with you totally freaking out at every time the sun comes out? A little weird, don't you think?" challenged Mike, trying to sound jokey and light-hearted. He failed miserably. I was sure Edward had it covered though.

"Isn't it a little weird that you're so offended, Newton? I prefer the shade, myself, and I burn easily. I prefer sunset."

"Clearly. Why don't you camp out under an umbrella then? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were…"

"What, Newton? What are your theories?" said Edward. I could hear an undercurrent of annoyance in his tone, so subtle that only I would be able to detect it.

"I don't know, but I don't understand you."

"I'm only human, I do get offended by things like that." said Edward. Now he was really annoyed. Verging on anger. If I was Mike, I would be turning and walking away right now. Quickly.

"Well, it is a little weird." said Mike quietly. He was backing down, even if he didn't want to. He must be getting scared after all.

"I've got to run. Bella's waiting for me." Edward said, taunting him. That was mean. But Mike had pushed him too far.

"Lucky you," Mike muttered sullenly.

"Lucky me." Edward replied. And then the doorknob turned and he entered our room.

"That was a little harsh," I began, giving him a look as he joined me on the bed.

"What? He asked for it," Edward defended, frowning.

"Well you could have been a little softer on him. He was just curious," I advised.

"There are a lot of things that would describe Mike Newton, but curious isn't one of them." he said shortly. I could see he was still annoyed at him. Hardly surprising; for Edward, the exchange was still going on in his head, what with him hearing Mike's thoughts.

"There are a lot of things that describe you too, Edward Cullen." I reminded him. He looked at me, going quiet. He knew I was right.

On the last day, Edward sped up the packing of our things so we were done in seconds. It was a whirlwind, his arms moving in a blur around our suitcases. On the car ride back to the airport, Edward was making me laugh so hard I got funny looks from Mike and Jess. It felt like it was just me and him in the car. Edward only had eyes for me. That was for sure. Though I imagined he was also trying to block out Mike and Jess's loud thoughts.

"What's so funny?" asked Mike, clearly a little envious. He looked back and forth between me and Edward.

"Private joke, you wouldn't get it," said Edward just as I was opening my mouth.

"Oh, I wouldn't get it? Try me," said Mike, challenging him.

"Ah, I don't think so." said Edward. I could tell this was one of those short answers, the only answer he was going to give.

"Mike, I think you should let this one go. It's nothing, really." I reassured him. He nodded slowly, reluctant, but he finally let it be. All I could see was Jess glaring at Mike in the corner of my eye. Even she knew when to button it. And that was saying something. On the plane, Jess sat on my left, Edward on my right. Mike was next to Jess of course. I got the feeling he was freezing out Edward, sulking. Oh well. You can't please everyone I suppose.

When we landed back in Forks, it felt strange. Almost like I'd just moved here all over again. I was feeling quite sleepy on the car ride home, though it was pretty late at night by the time I arrived home. Edward even came indoors with me, though he didn't let Charlie see.

I went in to greet my father. He was thrilled to see me, giving me a hug straight away. Edward hovered in the hallway where Charlie couldn't see. He probably would have been lenient, too happy to see me to care, but I didn't want to risk it. Whilst Charlie made himself a drink, I snuck into the hallway behind his back to see Edward. He was leaning against the wall, looking irresistible. He took my hand and pulled me to him. He leant down and kissed me hard.

"Bella?" called Charlie. Uh-Oh. I hoped he wouldn't catch us.

Edward pulled away with a smile. He glanced toward the kitchen where Charlie was, then sauntered up the stairs with a smile, leaving me behind. Just as he'd disappeared out of view, Charlie poked his head into the hallway, frowning.

"You all right, Bell? You look a little red," he commented, looking worried.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Oh, are you making drinks? I'm really thirsty," I said, covering up our tracks.

"Sure am. Come on; tell me about your vacation. I hope you all behaved yourselves," he added gruffly.

I sat down with him at the table with a coke, holding it in both hands, and told him, glossing over certain details I didn't deem necessary to include. I could almost hear Edward laughing at me upstairs. He could hear every word of my truncated account, and was probably having the time of his life up there. When I finally got up there, I made sure to let him know how I felt about it. I knew him so well, I was almost a mind-reader too.

"Damn you, Edward. I knew you were laughing." I grumbled, folding my arms.

"What, you heard me? That's impossible; I was so quiet," he said, half-shocked, half-laughing.

I raised an eyebrow. He went quiet.

"Damn right I did. Oh, so you're admitting it? You _were_ making fun of me up here, laughing to yourself while I was torturing myself trying to cover for you?" I said, pretending to be annoyed. Edward was starting to look a little nervous though. I smirked to myself. I was the only one who could get this reaction out of him; I loved having private thoughts he would never dream of hearing.

"Oh, Bell-"

"Uh-uh. You are so not getting away with that, vamp." And then I wrestled him on the bed playfully, tickling him until he gave in and stopped me with his strong hands.

"Whoa, someone's not happy," he laughed, snaking his hand round my waist.

"No, I'm not," I said, pouting at him.

"Aw. Will you forgive me? I'll even sing you to sleep later if you like," Edward asked innocently.

"No, you can sleep on the floor." I retorted.

"Hmm, sure. Like I'm going to do that. I can just sneak in beside you when you're snoring," he teased with a wicked smile.

I punched him on the arm as hard as I could. He laughed even more.

"I hate you." I said, pulling away.

"Well I love you. And I'm not going anywhere," he said, looking me right in the eye. He knew I would get over it. I still pretended to be angry at him. It was only banter, and he knew it.

"Will you forgive me?" he whispered, stroking my cheek softly.

"Hmm. I'll have a think, vamp boy."

"That's good enough for me." he smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Just under two weeks later it was time to go back to school. But for once, I didn't mind. In fact, I was absolutely fine with it. On the night before, I hardly got any sleep; Edward was whispering in my ear, and he kept making me laugh as he told me about some of the thoughts he'd heard from Mike while we were on vacation. Soon I turned to face him, accepting I was nowhere near sleep anyway.

"What else was he saying? In his head, I mean? This is kind of entertaining," I giggled.

Edward was pulling the faces to go with it, which had me in hysterics. He could do Mike's voice to a T.

"Why's that dude gotta wear so many layers? Am I missing something, or are we actually in the Antarctic? Jeez man, what a weirdo," he mocked in Mike's voice.

"And what's with the hiding out? Why come in the first place if you won't even go outside? Crazy man. What an idiot. What is he, allergic to the sun? It wouldn't surprise me. Should've dragged the douchebag outside myself. Let him break out in a rash or whatever it is that he gets. See how much Bella likes him them. _See who the cool guy is then_! Doofus," he went on.

This was Oscar-worthy, I was sure of it.

I burst out laughing, holding my hand over my mouth to muffle it. I was in tears now.

"Go on, give me more," I encouraged through my laughter. I looked at him, eagerly waiting. He continued. Edward pulled a mock frown this time, really making fun now.

"I mean, what does she see in that guy, really? What has he got that I haven't? He's not even that good-looking. Though if I was a girl, I dunno maybe it would be a different story. Maybe I would. No, I wouldn't. Anyway, I saw Bella first. And I was a lot nicer to her as well. Why do girls do that? Always go for the stupid rude moody guy..." he said, and he sounded so much like him I had to pat his face to check it was really Edward.

"OK, this is freaking me out. Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" I said.

He reached out for my face and I pretended to recoil, giving him a funny look.

"Mike Newton? Ew, get out of my room!" I whispered jokingly.

I was astounded at how much like him he sounded. I had to hold my hand over my mouth, I was laughing so hard. It was strange laughing so quietly, but I didn't want Charlie overhearing. At one point I let out a shout, and Edward had to press his hand to my mouth. We rolled over on the bed laughing. I took him under the duvet. Usually it was too hot to stay under there for more than a minute, but with Edward, that was no longer a problem. Edward's fingers twined with mine, icy cold.

When I calmed down, all I could hear was the sound of our breathing.

"I'm still not tired, you know," I whispered, my head against his chest.

"Mmm," was all Edward said in response. He sounded like he didn't buy it.

"Really, I'm not."

"Don't you want to sleep? We've got to be up early tomorrow, angel."

"I know. Will you sing me to sleep? My lullaby?" I requested.

"Of course."

He kissed the top of my head and began. I tried as hard as I could to hear as much of his singing as possible before I drifted off. But soon, I was gone.

I was very groggy in the morning and almost a zombie until I ate breakfast and showered. After that I felt a little better. It was worth it, though. That kind of entertainment warranted a sleepless night.

Edward's driving got us to school in record time as usual, but it meant we arrived so early that the school parking lot was almost deserted; a couple of freshmen were huddled by the cafeteria. Drizzle spattered the windscreen, and mist was forming in the corners of the windows. This weather used to depress me, but now I felt normal when it was raining, happy. Because days with any sign of the sunlight meant Edward would avoid school, along with the rest of his family, in order to prevent exposure of their sparkling diamond skin, and therefore exposure of what they were. I snuggled up against his chest, his cool iron arm holding me close, and his chin resting very lightly on my head. At this moment, here in the warmth of Edward's car, contrasting with the coldness of his marble body against mine, there was nowhere in the world I'd rather be.

"I won't be at school this afternoon…" Edward murmured sadly.

"Why? You already hunted. " My voice became quiet at his words; why would he need to leave? We had Biology at that time. And it wasn't sunny at all today.

"But you won't be at school for the afternoon either…" Edward responded, and it sounded like there was a smile in his voice. I smiled in response, and my heart started beating a little faster. We were ditching? It wasn't like Edward to take me out of school.

"Huh?" My outrageously witty response sent Edward into quiet chuckles and he turned his body around to look at me. He was smiling at me. I gazed into his mesmerizing golden eyes.

"How would you like to come for a run with me later?" He looked excited now; his eyes were shining. My eyebrows rose in surprise and it took me a little longer than normal to answer.

"Oh… I mean, sure." I suddenly felt a rush of excitement and it made me incoherent. But I wondered how I would escape from school. I would have to pretend to be sick…but with Edward ditching too, wouldn't that cause suspicion?

"But how…" I trailed off; Edward was shaking his head before I could finish. It was as if he could read my mind after all. "No one is going to suspect, Bella. Trust me, I know how teachers think. They won't notice a thing. I want you to see something…I think you'll like it." Edward's smile widened further, and I couldn't help grinning back. What did he want to show me?

Edward looked away from me at that moment, his gaze turning to the windscreen. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett were getting out of Rosalie's red convertible. They didn't look our way. I glanced at Edward. He looked relaxed, and was still looking at his family.

"Do you want to go see them?" I asked. I wanted to talk to Alice anyway, see how she was.

"Yes. I wouldn't speak to Rosalie though. She's not in the best mood today," Edward smirked and disentangled himself as he spoke. He was opening my door in seconds.

We held hands as we walked to his family. Rosalie and Emmett were staring into each other's eyes. Alice was grinning at us as we approached.

"Hi guys!" said Alice happily and she flitted over to give me a quick hug.

"Hey Alice! How are you?" I smiled.

"Awesome, thanks! I see that Edward has a surprise for you later." Alice looked sideways at Edward, and he shared her grin. Hmm…

Rosalie took Emmett's hand and stalked away, her golden waves sweeping across her back. My eyes followed them until they disappeared into the building, and that's where I saw Mike staring at us. As soon as he caught my eye, he suddenly smiled, but it was a sad smile; it didn't go anywhere near his eyes. Then he glanced at Edward, his smile vanishing as quickly as it had come, and his expression turned to a scowl. He spun to walk to class. Edward sighed.

Jasper waited behind Alice, staring into the distance.

"Let's go." said Edward.

We walked hand in hand to class. Edward had changed his schedule so we would share almost all our classes together. I have no idea how he did that. He must have compelled the staff with his eyes, making it impossible to say no.

We sat right beside each other, and Edward played footsie with me under the table. It was all I could do not to smile so hard that I burst out laughing. I just about managed, pressing my lips tightly together. Nobody noticed, too busy listening to the teacher.

In the afternoon, Edward took my hand, whispering in my ear that he had us covered. It was time for his surprise. He scooped me up and whisked me away from the school grounds so fast no one would dream of spotting us. He took me to my room, put his hand into his pocket and held out a small black box. He opened it and I saw a beautiful moonstone ring inside. It glowed blue in the light. He slid it onto the third finger of my right hand, deliberately not choosing my left hand instead – it was as if he was saving it for the future. He also had a second gift for me: a silver clasp bracelet with a turquoise stone in the middle. I slipped it onto my wrist. It looked beautiful. I hugged him hard and thanked him. Such lovely gifts, I was so grateful. It was like early birthday presents.

Over the next few days, school became a blur of exams and excited conversations of next year's prom. I was never going to be subjected to it again, and I made sure Edward fully knew that fact. He was the only one keeping me sane through all this mayhem - Jessica was already planning to shop for her prom dress, and practically every girl I walked past was talking about who she wanted as her date. Personally, I didn't get it.

I thought of my birthday next week. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. It meant I would be one year older than Edward. Ugh. I already felt old. I wondered what Alice had planned. It was sure to be a major party or something. Various scenarios played out in my head, all very embarrassing.

The Forks rain continued, making the sky look miserable, but I looked ahead to the coming weeks with positivity, knowing that Edward would be right there with me.

The End


End file.
